Iron Heart
by Carpetbakr
Summary: After an intense battle with Gene Khan, Tony's armor is stolen and sold to Stane. To make matters worse, Hammer and Stane BOTH know his secret identity, but haven't revealed it to the world. Yet. The problem only grows worse from there...
1. Chapter 1

Episode intro: Iron Heart -O-

Before I begin the episode, let me tell you just what's going on. Tony invented a new armor: the Iron Man Mark3. it's basically the same as the Mark 2, except it has stronger Repulsers, better defense systems, and…-oh, yes-a new weapon. The fingers of his armor can now generate and store Energy, storing it in a spherical shape, and he can throw these mini-electrical spheres at enemies. Upon impact with something, they would explode, and momentarily paralyze the unlucky person whom it hits. Also, Tony and Whitney are no longer dating, they broke up when Tony said he was gonna fire Stane when he took over Stark international, and Whitney sorta flipped out about that. not only that, Justin Hammer told Obadiah Stane Tony's secret identity, (don't worry, neither of them revealed it to the world. Yet.) And Tony, in his newest armor, the Iron Man Mark 3, flew to Peru, to the fifth Makluan ring temple, looking for Gene. Rhodey, who donned the War Machine Armor, followed him at a distance, in case his best friend needed help defeating Gene. Gene as tha Mandarin ambushes him, and after a brief and intense struggle, Tony is on the floor, with Gene's foot on his chest, pinning him there, and Gene's armored hands closed around Tony's throat. This is the prologue, I'll post chapter 1 soon! Hope you enjoy reading it as much I enjoy writing it. Also, this is my first Fanfic, so if you're going to criticize me, please don't be too harsh!

This story is one of evil assassins, secrets and surprises, scheming C.E.O.'s, and _definetely_ Pepperony.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2-THE PLOT

Back at the armory, Tony gave Rhodey and Pepper the details of his recent, disastrous battle with Gene Khan, the mandarin. He had barely finished when Pepper burst in.

"he took your ARMOR? See, that's why I wanted my OWN armor! I totally could have helped you! I-" "Pepper!" Rhodey interrupted with a stern look. "Gene said…ugh…Gene said that Stane hired him to steal my armor in exchange for the location of the seventh Makluan ring." Tony said ruefully. Rhodey and Pepper exchanged appalled glances.

"You mean that there are ten Makluan rings? Not just five?" Pepper said incredulously. "I guess so…Gene gloated a LOT about how he already has six…but what do we do? He's getting more powerful with each ring he gets! And Stane is going to become all-too-popular with the board when he gets the armor! What if they won't let me take over when im eighteen?" Tony said anxiously. He let the bad news sink in as the three friends were quiet for a moment, contemplating on how things couldn't possibly be worse.

"Well," Rhodey said thoughtfully. "The way I see it, there's only one thing you can do that will help." "What's that?" Tony asked. "Go to sleep." He put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "You've been in the Armor all day. It's nearly midnight! Pepper and I actually NEED sleep, and you do too, man. Tomorrow, we can figure things out." Tony sighed.

"All right…TOMORROW, I'll build another Mark Three armor, suit up and look for Gene again. Don't worry, pep!" he said, looking into Pepper's worried face. "I'll be careful, and I won't let him ambush me this time. I'm not going to Peru; Gene has to be nearby if he's giving the armor to Stane, and I'll do whatever it takes to find him." He said resolutely. Suddenly, his watch beeped an alarm. Tony turned it off and said wearily, "I'll recharge my heart tomorrow morning…I'm beat." And so, with their busy plans made, the three friends left the Armory, careful to lock everything up for the night.

PT 2

~MEANWHILE, AT STARK INTERNATIONAL~

"Well, well, well, Mandarin! I must say I'm impressed! I didn't think you'd bring me the armor so fast! How would you like to work for me?" Stane inquired, marveling at the Iron Man Armor that Gene had brought in.

"NO! I have better things to do than sit around and work for an old fool!" Gene retorted viciously. "And now…the ring. Where is it?" Stane produced an old, weathered-looking map from his pocket and handed it to Gene's outstretched, armored hand. Without another word, or even insult, he teleported away in a blinding sphere of light.

"Well!" Stane demanded impatiently, turning to his top engineer who was analyzing the Armor. "Is it ready to be worn?" the engineer mopped his sweaty brow, and spoke hesitantly.

"w-well, sir…Mr. Stane, technically, it CAN be worn, but none of its systems will turn on. You'd just be in a suit of armor, no flight, weapons, or anything. It won't operate without an energy source, and we have no idea what kind of power is needed to operate it. All that we know is that the user of this armor has the energy source we need." Stane pounded his fist on the table, his grey eyes blazing with anger.

"BLAST! Curse him! Tony Stark, of all the insolent people! How will I get the power for my armor if it will only operate using his heart mechanism! I'd have to kill him to get it!" he grumbled under his breath. Furiously he paced the length of the room, grumbling angrily to himself. "Grrr…power….heart implant?...Tony….mrrrgh!...need power…" he stopped, staring at the Iron Man Armor. A malicious smile played on his lips as a vile idea formed in his twisted mind. Without another word, he left the trembling scientist and went upstairs to his private office. Once there, he locked the door and whipped out his phone. "And now for a quick phone call…"~10 minutes later, he was pacing once more, mumbling,

"Where IS he? Should've been here a LONG time ago! Urrgh, of all the no-good, dirty, rotten-"suddenly, a gravelly voice emanated from behind him, "I'd appreciate it if you'd just call me _Ghost._" Stane yelled, dropping his phone, and wheeled around in alarm. Then, none other than the Ghost appeared, looking smug behind his masked hood. He laughed, a harsh, joyless sound like a nail being wrenched out of wood. "Heh! You jumped about three feet in the air, Obadiah! So, why'd ya call me here? Give me the what, the when, and the why..." Stane fixed his eyes on Ghost. "I want you to fetch me something special. Very special indeed…" Ghost looked amused.

"Special, eh? Ya want me to find you a good toupee?" Stane flashed him an irritated look. He spoke in dead serious tones.

" I want you to hunt down Tony Stark and tear his mechanical heart out. I want it done within this week, and as for why, I'd get the power core I need for my armor, and if Tony's dead, nobody will take over Stark International. Will you do it?" Ghost considered this. (_Well,) _he thought in his fiendish mind. (_I would really enjoy blackmailing the kid over his identity…Nah. Im sure Stane wants this little assassination a secret. I'd get twice the cash blackmailing him than Tony!) _he nodded.

"All right, baldie. I'll get you that heart. But first, I want my cash. Ten billion dollars should be enough, plus expenses."


	3. Chapter 3

IRON HEART chapter 3-The Attack.

Tony checked his digital clock and groaned. It read 3:00 A.M. He rolled over in bed and tried unsuccessfully to go back to sleep. He just couldn't sleep. Something nagged at the back of his mind, a discomfort he couldn't place… his watch beeped, reminding him that his implant's battery was almost out.

_(Well,)_ he thought. _(May as well recharge. Can't sleep anyway.)_ He got out of bed, and on silent feet, made his way to the Armory, unaware that the discomfort he sensed was a sinister pair of dark eyes watching his every move. Unaware, that is, until he stepped into an alley he knew as a shortcut. He walked through, quickening his pace. Just as he reached the exit, a hand shot out of the darkness, closed around Tony's throat, pulled him into the shadows, and slammed him into the wall. It happened so fast that he couldn't think. He tried to cry out, but the hand tightened its grip on his neck and his vision blurred. He almost lost consciousness. Then, the attacker came into view.

"Ghost!" Tony managed to croak hoarsely, for it was none other than Ghost, chuckling to himself smugly as he became visible.

"What do you want from me?" Tony yelped, or at least tried to.

"Oh, what do I want from you?" Ghost repeated. "Nothing much, it's just a little 'errand' one of my employers wants me to run. I'm just here to do it." Tony's vision went red, and it had nothing to do with Ghost chocking him. He gritted his teeth in anger and tried to kick Ghost, but he simply went insubstantial again. He laughed, a horrible sound like wood being cracked in two.

"Don't even try to escape, kid!" he pulled out a pistol and pointed it at Tony. "One move and its all over for you. Now, to get down to business…" he put the pistol at his belt, pulled his hand back and it became insubstantial. He reached forward, his hand passing straight through the center of Tony's chest, and his hand closed around Tony's heart implant, gripping it tightly. Tony gave a strangled gasp, his face screwed up with pain. "A-ack-what? Aagh!-let go!" he yelped. Ghost only laughed.

"Before I kill you, allow me to clear things up fer ya." He said as Tony's rage and pain threatened to make him pass out. "You know the armor Stane recently 'acquired' from you? His mechanics scanned it, and found out that it won't work without you in it. So, Stane hired ME to rip your mechanical heart out, not only to power his new armor, but as an assurance that he would keep Stark International in the future." Tony's blue eyes widened with horror.

"Agh! Y-you're working for _Stane?_ Why!" Ghost looked amused.

"Because he's got a verrry good amount of money on your heart! Don't worry, kid! Since I'm in a good mood right now, I'll tear your mechanical heart out, slowly, and painfully!" he said with a malicious sneer, and began to pull. Tony screamed in agony as he felt a searing pain tear at his chest until he couldn't think. His breathing came in ragged gasps, and Ghost laughed in a malevolent glee. Tony knew his life was about to be taken. His vision was dimming, the sharp, stabbing pain started to fade as Ghost slowly pulled his implant out, even his maniacal laughter, which echoed in his ears with a haunting resonance, faded, and he started to give in to the numbness creeping over his mind and body. But then Ghost stopped abruptly, startled by a noise. A faint sound and Ghost stopping brought Tony back to consciousness. He stared over to where Ghost was looking, horrified, and, much to his astonishment, he saw Pepper running towards him, shouting his name. But why was Ghost looking so shocked? As Pepper got closer, Tony realized why.

She was wearing the Iron Man Repulsers.

**Hey, people! I have an idea for a new weapon for the Mark 3 armor. I'll include a description of it soon. Peace and pie!**


	4. Chapter 4

IRON HEART chapter 4

"Pepper to the Rescue!"

Ghost sputtered, "Wh-what? Who-?" He didn't get to finish, as Pepper shot out a blast from the Repulsers, aimed at him. She missed. Ghost, who realized there was nothing to fear, she was just a little girl, smirked and trained his pistol on her. Tony, in his dazed, half-conscious state, managed to shout hoarsely, "Pepper! Shield!" just as Ghost fired. She stuck out both hands, and the Repulsers formed an electric shield around her. The bullets clattered uselessly to the ground.

"Let him go!" Pepper shouted fiercely, and fired again at Ghost, this time hitting his stomach. Luckily, his hand released Tony's heart from its horrible grip, and with an angry yell, he flew backwards and slammed hard into the wall at the end of the alley. Tony collapsed to the floor, his vision spiraling into a veil of darkness. Ghost, who was now enraged at this point, whipped out another pistol from his belt. Pepper wondered, off-task (_how many guns does he have in there?_) Ghost laughed menacingly.

"A nice effort to save yer friend, there, kid, but I'm not leaving 'till my job is done!" Ghost snarled. Then, quite unexpectedly, another voice rang out clear and loud. "Well, then! Sounds like you're going to be one really disappointed evil dude, today!" and another Repulser blast fired out of nowhere shot a startled Ghost squarely in the chest and he was slammed against the wall he had hit earlier, and crumpled to the ground. War Machine alighted down in front of Pepper and Tony protectively, all weapons readied and trained on Ghost, who was angered to the point of being reckless, but somehow, despite his immense rage, he collected himself, summoned his flying hovercraft, and took off. His voice echoed across the alley with a deep resonance.

"I'll be back, Tony! I'll get that heart one way or another!"

"Oh, no you won't! I'm NOT letting you get away!" Rhodey shouted angrily, and took off after him in hot pursuit.

Wow, sorry that was so short. Chapter 5 soon to follow! Thank you all!


	5. Chapter 5

Hey, People! I know I put in a question last chapter, asking for a new weapon idea. The one I'm currently going with is "Neuro Plasma Paralyzers", but I wanted to change it, because I think it sounds too long.

Dreamer 15. Alice Thanks for your MANY ideas! You ARE a dreamer! I think I like "Energlyze repulsers", but also Pepper's idea. Thanks for commenting, everybody, and I'm sorry I haven't been on in a while.

I went to a winter retreat for my church, it was called Winter Xtreme, and had a lot of fun doing things like tobogganing, tubing, petting SUPER cute chinchillas, and…oh, yes. I got bitten by a King Snake while I was there. So, anyways, here's chapter 5, thanks again!

Pepper ran to where Tony was lying on the ground, facedown and motionless. "Oh, please be ok, Tony, please-be-ok..." Pepper murmured worriedly. She knelt down beside him. Trembling, she hooked her arms around his stomach and pulled him into a sitting position against the wall. She shook him a few times, but he showed no sign of reviving. Suddenly, his eyes shot open with a jolt that shook his whole body. Then his eyes closed in pain, his hand went to his heart, and he moaned softly. Pepper sighed with relief.

"Tony! What happened? Are you OK? Why are you here? How-""Pepper!" Tony interrupted. "Don't worry. I'm fine….well, sort of…" he added, looking at her anxious expression. Then, feeling his face go red, he stood up shakily, Pepper staring at him with concern. "What happened?" she asked. Tony hesitated, not really knowing how to describe the previous minute's drama, and angry with how weak he had been. Finally, he began.

"Well, I was going to the Armory, and I took a shortcut, through here. Ghost ambushed me…and…" his voice trailed off. "…and?" Pepper asked, her eyes widening. Tony grimaced-might as well get it over with- and continued. "…and Ghost said that Stane hired him to rip out my heart, so he could power the armor that Gene stole for him." Pepper's jaw dropped in utter horror and she started to speak. "I'm fine, really!" he said quickly as he sensed a 'Pepper panic attack' coming on. "That's one of the defense systems of the Mark Three; it'll only operate if I'm in it. That's why he wants my heart. You and Rhodey came just in time…! Wait a minute! How did you know where I was?" he said suddenly. She blushed and spoke excitedly.

"Well, neither Rhodey or me could sleep, so he texted me and said that you weren't in bed, and that you had left, so we were actually going to the Armory too! (Rhodey said that he thought you would be there), when he saw Ghost attacking someone, (we didn't know it was you) and he gave me the Repulsers and ran to the Armory to get the War Machine Armor, and left ME to battle him! Can you believe it? He just was like-"

"Okay, Pepper, I get it!" Tony interrupted, but Pepper had begun one of her ramblings again.

"`Ok, Pepper! I'll get the Armor, while you hold him off! ` And he just ran off, can you believe it! I mean, battling Ghost was totally awesome, and I'd just LOVE to kick his butt again, but talk about short notice! I didn't even KNOW how to use the Repulsers until a few minutes ago! Hey, by the way, when are you going to make my armor? With the dolphin sonar and missiles and-"

When Pepper was on a roll like this, she almost never shut up. But a sly idea was forming in his mind… he took her hands in his. She didn't even notice when he leaned forward close to her face, Gazing into her pretty chocolate-brown eyes.

"Pepper!"

"I'm still thinking of what to call myself, what about `Iron Girl`? Nah, that's SO not going to work. I think it should be something cool, like `The Super Amazing Iron Warrior Who Helps People`!-oh, no, that's too long. Wait! What about-"

Her eyes abruptly widened. Sudden silence descended in the alley where they stood, even the noisy crickets paused in their rhythmic melodies, as Tony leaned forward and kissed Pepper.

"Pepper Potts, You talk too much." He said with a mischievous smile.


	6. Chapter 6

Hey, guys and gals! I just wanted to say thanks for commenting on my story here. This chapter's pretty short, I'm sorry! This week's gonna be a little busy for me, thanks to my sister's 18th b-day, my grandma's b-day, youth group, and stuff like that. Let's go!

IRON HEART chapter 6 'Decisions'

Rhodey, for the last time, I'm going to fight him! He HAS to be stopped!" Tony argued in a sharp tone; it was evident that he said this many times.

"And for the last time, YOU CAN'T! We haven't even tested the Mark Three Armor you just rebuilt!" Rhodey snarled back. He started to say more, but Tony cut him off.

"I am NOT going to sit here, doing nothing while Ghost and Stane are working on some kind of weapon, and it HAS to be something big, if they want my HEART to power it! I have to stop whatever they're planning!" Tony snapped, anger flashing in his eyes. Rhodey didn't seem convinced, and certainly far from giving in, but he suddenly sighed in defeat.

"Tony, whatever you're going to do, I can't stop you from doing it." Tony looked surprised. "Just, whatever you're going to do, as always, be careful. It HAS to be some kind of trap; he might have a nasty trick up his sleeve."

"Ooh, like some kind of atomic bomb or something?" Pepper chimed in.

"Oh, wait! Maybe Ghost is in some kind of Super Villain team-"she stopped abruptly, realizing she had started to ramble again.

Tony looked at Rhodey, then at Pepper, and nodded solemnly, still surprised that Rhodey had given in so easily.

"I'll be careful, guys. I won't let him catch me off guard. That's exactly why I rebuilt the Negator Packs, and upgraded them, too!" He walked over to the newly rebuilt Mark Three Iron Man Armor. "Now, they'll disable ALL of his tech, so he won't be able to go intangible again. Not only that, but his backup generator won't work either. Well, guys….wish me luck!"Tony said as the Armor creeped up and around his body, clicking and shifting, enclosing him safely inside of it.

"Good luck!" Rhodey and Pepper chorused. Tony grinned at them confidently before the face mask shut, his Armor went up the launching chute, and he was gone.


	7. Chapter 7

Hi! I know that the last chapter was REALLY short, and confusing, but I hope this one's better. Thanks, UnikDork! On with the chapter!

IRON HEART chapter 7 "Tower Tussle"

"Hmm…computer, locate enemy 'Ghost'…profile stored under `List of Big Jerks`" Tony commanded his Armor, as he soared through the sky. [Locating…] his Armor responded almost immediately.

"Well, Tony?" Pepper's voice chirped through the communication system.

"Didya Find him yet?"

"For the fifth time, NOT YET!" Tony said angrily. Then Rhodey spoke.

"Calm down, Tony!"

"Yeah, I know, but I SAID that if I found him, I'd tell-"

Their argument was cut short as Tony's Armor spoke again. [Ghost located. Current position-behind user.] Tony suddenly went into a swerving dive to avoid a laser beam that would've hit him moments ago. "You know what? I think I found him." Tony said as he wheeled around to face Ghost, holding a smoking laser gun. "Ooh, go kick his butt, Tony!" Pepper squealed, practically dancing with excitement.

"Heh! I knew you'd be stupid enough to try and fight me, kid! But I'm willing to make you a deal." He said as they circled each other, ironically, right over Hammer Multinational's large helipad. He continued.

"Come quietly, don't make a fuss about it, and when I take your heart, I'll spare your friends afterward." Tony felt his face grow hot.

"Actually, I have a deal for YOU!" he yelled as his armor opened at his forearm, pushing a Negator Pack into his open palm. He gripped it tightly.

"Leave them alone, YOU come quietly," he said, flying directly at his enemy, "and I'll make sure that your jail cell is nice and comfortable!" and he launched the Negator Pack right at a surprised Ghost, it hit him squarely in the stomach, and as it gave him a nasty shock that disabled all his tech, he let out a bestial scream of agony.

"WH-what did you do to me!" he yelled as he pulled the trigger of his gun several times, which failed to shoot.

"I launched a specialized technical ability stabilizer, a Negator Pack, at you! Now, all of the technology that makes you insubstantial, weapons, and even backup generator are permanently disabled!" Tony answered matter-of-factly, and punched him in the face, knocking him close to the edge of the helipad where they battled. Ghost got up, avoiding the Repulser blasts that Tony sent his way, and made a run for his hovercraft. Tony saw what he was doing, and he too flew to it, but Tony had not seen it coming. Ghost got to it first, he jumped on it and launched several small missiles at Tony. He tried to turn around, but not fast enough, and there was a small explosion as the missiles hit his chest and he was thrown towards the edge of the tower.

"Tony! Get-" he heard Pepper and Rhodey both yell, but before they could say anything else, there was a harsh static noise, and then nothing. [Communications down. Shields at 30%. Power at 50%. Implant recharge soon to be essential.] His armor informed him, and Tony cursed himself for his stupidity at forgetting to recharge earlier. He struggled to get to his feet, preparing to use his new weapon, the Neuro Plasma Paralyzers, but remembering how much energy it took, he settled for his Uni-beam. He charged it up, preparing to take a risk that would almost entirely drain the little energy he had left. Ghost too, was charging up his most powerful weapon. They both stood no more than ten feet away. "Give up!" Ghost snarled, his enormous laser gun fully charged and ready to fire, pointed directly at Tony's heart. "Never!" Tony shouted back, his Uni-beam also ready. But then, just at the exact moment when they both would've fired at each other, another voice rang out of nowhere.

"Hold it just one moment, please! I, too, have a deal to make!" instantly, both weapons were trained at the newcomer, who walked into view, smiling arrogantly.

It was Justin Hammer.


	8. Chapter 8

IRON HEART chapter 8 "Savior"

Tony, of course, was extremely wary. He was just battling Ghost, his Uni-beam prepared to fire, and Ghost about to shoot him, when none other than Justin Hammer had approached them, a sly smile on his face.

"Aha! Ghost! Just the guy I wanted to see! I have a little proposition to make." He started, But Ghost interrupted. "Sorry, Blondie! I'm already on a mission right now, as you can see. So if you'll just go back inside, I'll see you when I'm done…" but Justin stayed where he was, his smile now somewhat twisted.

"Oh, but why leave now? Ghost, I know you're working for Stane. You're trying to kill Tony Stark,-ah, or should I say, Iron Man!" he said, sneering at Tony.

"But now-my deal." He said, turning to Ghost. "Whatever Stane is paying you, I'll double, but only if you bring the boy's heart to ME. I'd love to spoil Stane's plans any day, and this is a good opportunity." a shocked silence descended upon them all; Ghost, in his twisted and cruel mind, considered this offer.

It didn't take long.

"Tell ya what…TRIPLE the money, and I'll do it." Justin nodded, his smile wavering slightly. They shook hands, closing the new deal, and Ghost pointed his massive, super powerful gun back at Tony, Hammer turned and grinned at him, snickering.

"Ghost, you may shoot."

"Oh, nuts."

Tony raised his arms to defend himself, but it was no use. The supercharged laser blast hit him in the middle of his chest, he felt a searing pain in his heart, and as he plummeted towards the ground, thousands of feet below, he heard Justin, laughing insanely, call after him. "Don't damage his heart TOO bad Ghost; it'll look simply _wonderful_ on my bedroom wall!" Tony desperately tried to pull out of his fall, but his armor wouldn't respond.

"C-computer!" Tony gasped, the pain in his chest sharpening almost unbearably. "What's going on?" The mechanical voice, now almost unable to be heard above the static, answered back haltingly. [Armor-power at three-percent. Shields down. Communications still down. Power levels at ten percent. Visual systems down. Caution: extreme strain to user's heart detected. Recharge immediately. Cardiac Arrest to occur in one hour unless implant is charged and repaired.] Tony let out a frustrated and pained shout.

There seemed to be no way out. All of his systems were down; he was battling a psychotic criminal (and losing), he was in extreme pain, and oh, yes-his heart would stop beating in less than an hour now.

And that was looking on the bright side. (_If only Rhodey were here!) _He thought.

"Right here, Tony." Suddenly, he felt his steep plummet halt; then the stomach-tingling sensation of going up, really fast. Someone had caught him, and he was cradled in that person's arms. He tried to see who, but his armor had lost visual. [Emergency communication systems have been remotely activated.] His armor informed him. Tony's blue eyes widened, hardly believing it.

"Rhodey!"

"Yep, pretty much!" came his friend's confident answer. "Rhodey, what's going on?" Tony asked. "Where-"

"I'm taking you to the Armory, you-NO! Agh, hang on, Tony!" Rhodey suddenly shouted. He felt Rhodey abruptly plummet, cursing Ghost all the while. His vision grew dim, the horrible stabbing pains in his heart faded…and suddenly he was falling…he could not hold out much longer….finally, between the piercing pain in his heart and Rhodey's dizzying flight maneuvers,

He blacked out.


	9. Chapter 9

Hey, everyone! Specifically, Cindylou30, UnikDork, Marvel789, and DJ Wright. Thanks for commenting, people! You all rock as much as Skillet does! ;) Hope you like this chapter, although it may be a little slow-moving and such. Let's go!

IRON HEART chapter 9 "Repairs"

He saw vague, blurred smudges…the low whispering of agitated voices was incomprehensible…his chest felt cold, like it had ice all over…then he remembered. The fight. Ghost teaming up with Justin Hammer. Rhodey saving him. But after that…

Tony suddenly sat up, (startling the two people next to him) but immediately a sharp pain forced him to lie back down, groaning closing his eyes. "Hold on, take it easy." a familiar voice said. Tony blinked a few times, and eventually his sight came back, as well as an awful throbbing in his head.

He was in the Armory, lying down on a makeshift cot, with Rhodey and Pepper looking down at him with concern. They had removed his shirt, and, once he was able too look at his chest, he saw that his heart monitor was damaged…really baldly. A large crack slashed diagonally through its badly burned surface, and the blue light that showed that it was working had dimmed, and now pulsed feebly. For a few moments, all that they could do was look at his ruined heart, wondering when it would fail, if it would. Finally, Tony broke the long silence.

"How long was I out?" he said, inwardly cringing at his hoarse voice. Rhodey looked at him nervously.

"About an hour. When I got you back, you were unconscious. We tried to recharge your heart, but the medical systems kept telling us it needed a repair in the next hour or…"

He paused, not wanting to say those next few words. He and Pepper exchanged worried glances, and he took a deep breath and went on in an anguished voice.

"…or you'll go into Cardiac Arrest. We were discussing it when you woke up…" he trailed off, unsure of what to say.

"Oh, no…that laser Ghost hit me with! It must have shorted out my armor and my heart…I need to fix it as soon as possible." Tony said, a little worried. "Should we get Dr. Yinsen? Don't you need to go to the hospital?" Pepper asked in a small voice. With difficulty, Tony shook his head.

"No, we wouldn't get there in time, and besides, even Yinsen doesn't know how to make a full repair. I can do it, but I'll need you two to help me." they both nodded at once.

"Okay, then. Let's do it."

And so they did. They removed broken parts, and Tony fixed them. After thirty minutes, they had replaced almost all of the broken parts, replaced the wiring, and managed to keep his implant working. But Tony was getting weaker, and there was still more to do. Wincing, he slowly pulled the top off, revealing the wiry inside of his implant and set it on a tray next to him. His breathing, already ragged, grew worse. His chest heaved with each breath he took. It sounded like he was breathing in chunks of ice. With a long pair of tongs Rhodey handed him, he reached inside his own chest and, gritting his teeth against the terrible pain, slowly drew out a strange, glowing blue circular piece of metal and set it on the tray along with all the other parts of his implant. It had an enormous crack, and was burned badly. "Is that what powers your heart?" Pepper asked, intrigued despite her concern. With increasing difficulty, Tony answered.

"Sort of. The electricity I recharge it with is what powers it, but this-" he held up the blue metal-"is what keeps it working. The implant is designed to draw its power from this. When I recharge, electricity goes to this metal, and powers the implant. The metal itself is extremely rare…" He said feebly.

"But now," he said, looking at Pepper with a weak smile, "I need you to put this…" he swapped the broken, burned piece of metal with a new, shiny one- "in here-" he gestured to the interior of his implant- " and push it in until it clicks…then-" he took a short, shuddering breath, closing his eyes. He suddenly gasped in pain, clutching at his heart as the last of his strength ebbed away. "Tony! Hang on, please don't die…" Pepper said frantically. Tony smiled weakly and looked into her eyes. "Don't worry, Pepper…I know you can do it…especially since me and Rhodey's hands are too big…after that, just put…the top…back on…and-" he stopped, unable to say more, as his head throbbed hard, painfully, the numbness stealing over him, everything seeming to be so far away…and the slow rising and falling of his chest as he breathed, stopped. The hour was up.

"And what? And WHAT? Oh no, Tony, oh, no no no no no…you CAN'T be dead!" Pepper cried, starting to panic. "Just do what he said, Pepper! Put the metal core into him!" Rhodey reminded her, his eyes wide.

Fingers trembling, she took the circular metal and slowly reached inside his implant and pushed it in until she heard a little click. She pulled her hand out, slightly grossed out at what she had just done, but she did not care.

"Right…the top!" she said, grabbing the strong, clear blue metal that protected the inside of his heart from the tray, and placed it in his heart, gently pushing it into place. Once it clicked, she slowly turned it in a clockwise motion, locking it into position. That was it. There was a mechanical sound, like tech rebooting, the blue light that signified his heart was working came on, and his heart monitor resumed beating. The mechanical-sounding heartbeats echoed in the silent Armory, and Pepper and Rhodey exchanged looks of triumph. They had done it! Tony's mechanical heart was still beating, and the medical systems of the Armory told them that he would regain consciousness soon.

[Recharge implant immediately.] The Armory's medical system informed them, and Pepper got up, retrieved the charger, and plugged it in. after about twenty minutes, an anxious silence, She unplugged it. They both sighed with relief. "So…what now?" Pepper said, after she set it on the cluttered worktable.

"Now, I go and beat up Ghost, Hammer, and most likely Stane." Said a voice behind them. Pepper and Rhodey wheeled around, to see Tony, awake and alive, standing up and grinning at them both. "Tony!" Pepper shrieked, and tackled him with an enormous hug, with Rhodey joining in, only slightly calmer. "Oof-ow! P-pepper-agh-you're-crushing-my-lungs!" Tony said in a strangled voice, and Rhodey and Pepper pulled away, Pepper was practically hyperventilating with excitement, and her chocolate-brown eyes shone brightly with happiness. But in a moment, Rhodey went into defensive mode.

"Tony, NO! You can't go after Ghost, or Hammer, or anybody!"

"Can I at least go and beat up Stane?" Tony asked innocently.

"No! You need to rest!" Rhodey said sternly, though both Tony and Pepper saw him hide a smile. "You just messed with your heart-you almost died! Not only that, but you and Ghost just now, that was a really rough fight, you look pretty beat up, and on top of all that…" he looked at his watch. "It's six o'clock, dinner time. Do you think you can make it to the dinner table? It's pizza tonight." He said, just as his stomach gave a loud rumble. All three of them laughed, and with a smile, Tony said, "Alright, let's go have some dinner. But first, where's my shirt?"


	10. Chapter 10

Hey everyone! :D I'd like to thank Cindylou30, (May God bless you and your family in this trying time), Dreamer 15. Alice., (You rock!) UnikDork (I really enjoy chatting, and thanks for all the positive feed!) and DJ Wright. (Happy Birthday! Glad u joined Fanfic!)

Well, let's get on with the chapter, hmm?

IRON HEART chapter 10 "Surprise Announcements"

"DUDE! WAKE UP! We have school today!" Rhodey said, shaking a sleeping Tony.

"Snnrrk-what? Huh? Oh, nuts, I forgot about school!" Tony said, instantly awake.

~later, at the Tomorrow Academy~

Tony was working diligently on a research paper for his physics class, when the school principle's magnified voice came over the loudspeakers, and everyone fell silent, looking up from their papers to listen.

"Attention to all students! I am pleased to announce that the annual school dance will be held this Friday, starting at seven o'clock, going on until eleven o'clock. All students are REQUIRED to attend-AS A TRADITION TO THIS SCHOOL!" He said loudly as a mutinous buzz rang out over half the school, mostly from the boys.

"All students will be required to dress appropriately, please arrive before seven; you may leave when you please. Exact arrival time is appreciated. Furthermore, everyone MUST have a partner, there are exactly enough of all you students to have a partner. Details will be on the white pamphlets outside of the physics room. For those who don't know how to _properly _dance, lessons will be held in the gymnasium for one hour after school. Thank you, and remember; DO YOUR HOMEWORK!"

A stunned silence fell upon all of the students as they looked at one another, shocked. Then, in about two seconds, the silence was broken, and everybody started talking at once. Such was the clamor; the principle came over the loudspeakers again.

"STUDENTS! PLEASE, SAVE YOUR TALKING FOR THE LUNCHROOM!" he bellowed, and Mr. Klein, the physics teacher, nodded at them, smiling playfully, and they all returned to their papers obediently. All, that is, but Tony. His mind was racing furiously. (_A school dance!_) He thought, horrified. (_On Friday! That's when the armor systems will be fully repaired and I'll be able to go after Ghost…I can't go to the dance! But I'll have to…the principle said all students must participate no matter what…and I have no choice, can't ditch this time, I'm already on thin ice with him…but who do I go with anyway?_) He thought, stealing a glance at the many girls in the room. He looked first at Whitney, but remembered they broke up, and quickly looked away. After several moments of scanning the room, his eyes came to rest on Pepper, working attentively next to him. She looked up, and smiled at him, and their eyes met, bright blue meeting warm brown, but he abruptly looked back down at his paper.

(_No, she's going out with Happy. And she'll probably go to the dance with him._) He thought miserably. Oh, how he wished he had told her sooner, how he wished he had told her how he really felt about her!

Pepper sighed and looked back at her paper. Very little was written so far, and she usually depended on Tony to tell her what to write, but he seemed really stressed today, so after a moment's heated debate, she decided against it. (_After all,_ _we just messed with his heart, and the damage done to it must really hurt…) _She reasoned. Indeed, she had seen him wince several times during the class, clutching at his chest.

Eventually, her thoughts returned to her paper, and, sighing, she tapped her pencil against the paper, trying to remember the exact form of the periodic table…soo boring…when Tony slid his finished paper close to hers, so she could see his answers. She smiled at him gratefully, and he grinned back.

~ten minutes later~

"Hey, Tony, thanks for letting me copy your paper back there!" Pepper said happily, once they were out in the hallway. "Wait-you let her copy your answers?" Rhodey said indignantly. Tony smiled at him mischievously. "Sure did!" Rhodey sighed and said no more. Noticing a pretty girl with coffee-colored skin and long, curly hair looking at Rhodey, who was unaware of her interest, Pepper and Tony quickly stifled laughter. "What?" Rhodey asked suspiciously. Tony looked at him, a sly smile playing on his lips, and said, "Well, we just overheard that girl you like, Lily Smith, saying that she wanted to ask you to the dance."

"Really?" Rhodey said excitedly. "Awesome! Oh, by the way, are you going with Whitney?" Tony gave his friend a withering look. "No, I'm not. It's just that-well-we broke up! It would be kinda awkward to go together." He said testily. Pepper looked at him, a little shy, and was about to ask him something, when the lunch bell rang and the three friends headed off to the cafeteria, forgetting their romantic troubles.


	11. Chapter 11

Hay! Thanks to UnikDork and Finny-Kun Goddess for commenting. I liked your idea, UnikDork, btw! :)

Chapter 10 "Enter Zhang Khan."

While the three friends chatted amiably, meanwhile at the top floor of Stark International, a red-faced figure paced the long length of his office, muttering angrily to himself and wringing his hands in fury.

"-That no-good, backstabbing, lying, cheating piece of SCUM!" to punctuate that last word, he kicked a wastebasket over, spilling its contents all over the floor, but he paid it no heed, pacing faster. "I paid him over five million dollars to kill the boy, and he betrays me! Takes the money and sides with Hammer! Now where'll I get the power core the Iron Man Armor needs? Ask him to make one for me?" Stane fumed, picking up the scattered newspaper he had spilled onto the floor, still cursing Ghost under his breath.

An all-black clad figure stood in the shadows, watching his boss's rampage with amusement. He was scarecrow-thin, with long gray hair, a goatee, and a moustache. Long, sharp and extremely unkempt fingernails were on his old and weathered hands. He had the looks of an old man who had recently begun pro wrestling.

"I know what you need." He said, in a Chinese-accented voice. He stepped into the light. Stane wheeled around in alarm, but relaxed when he saw who his visitor was. He didn't seem bothered at all that he had been watched for the past few minutes.

"Zhang! Good, you're here. Now, you know why I hired you from jail." Zhang nodded. "I need a little 'job' done. I'm NOT going to let Hammer one-up me! You know what I'm going to ask." Zhang nodded again. "In exchange for your freedom, and a job here at Stark international, I need you to execute Tony Stark before Ghost does. When you do, bring his body back here so we can extract his mechanical heart for the Armor. And I want it to be in working condition, Khan! If it's too damaged to be reverse-engineered, you've lost your job offering. Oh-and one more thing," He said, eyeing Zhang's ominous expression. "Make sure that none of this leads back to me. Nobody will know that I told you to do this, is that clear?" once more, Zhang nodded, his upper lip curling into a sneer.

"I will need several men, all fully armed, but suited for silence and stealth. This is no war mission; just a small squad is all I require."

"You'll have all you need, just hurry up with it!" Zhang slowly stalked around the room, admiring the view from the wall-sized windows, turning over some thoughts in his mind. He stopped, turning his back to Stane. "To kill Tony Stark, we can't use brute force. He is Iron Man, after all, but he still has a great weakness. We must attack his heart. Oh, no, not physically," He mused, looking over his shoulder back at Stane.

"But emotionally. He is always with his friends, yes? Particularly Miss Potts, or, as friends call her, Pepper. We must weaken him; make him feel deep, deep grief, sadness, and despair. It is then that we shall strike. But to do this, we shall first harm Pepper."

He concluded. There was a brief silence as his words sunk in. Stane cleared his throat.

"So what will you do?" Zhang smiled.  
>"You'll soon see." There was a hasty knock at the door, and four muscular, heavily armed and dressed in all black men entered. Zhang looked them over in approval. He turned to face his boss. "Well!" Stane demanded impatiently.<p>

"The plan shall be carried out immediately. Let's go." He said to the small squad, and they filed out of the room, Zhang chuckling malevolently.


	12. Chapter 12

Hay pplz! Quick thanks to UnikDork and Finny-Kun Goddess for commenting. UnikDork, I can assure you that THIS chapter will be better. :)

Chapter 12 "Captured"

Walking happily towards the mall, Pepper hummed softly to herself. She, Rhodey, and Tony had agreed to go shopping for their school dance things together, as not to look like fools going alone. It had been a long day at school, not to mention the dance was on Friday! Just four short days away! She didn't know who she was going with yet, because anytime she approached Happy, he just stammered, and said he had to go to the bathroom, and bolted off. She suspected that Whitney had paid him to go with her to the dance, because of her little-miss-high-and-mighty attitude at school that day. She sighed unhappily, because she really didn't know too many boys who would go with her except...Tony. She had absolutely no idea who he was going with, as it was nearly impossible to tell what he was thinking in times like that. She did know one thing, though.

Ever since he had kissed her in that alley, the night Ghost had almost killed him, he seemed like he wanted to tell her something, but never could. She had to admit, though, that she had always felt a little fuzzyheaded around him, and she now suspected-she hoped-that he felt the same way.

With all these wandering thoughts in her head, she didn't see where she was going, turned a sharp corner, and smacked right into someone. She squealed and leaped back, stammering an apology, when the man she had hit glared at her, a dangerous edge in his black eyes.

"Um…sorry! I have to leave now..." she said, sensing that he intended to harm her. He seemed strangely familiar though, she had seen that maniacal gleam in his eyes somewhere before… He stepped closer, swiftly lashing out and grabbing her wrist with a grip that threatened to break her bones. Her phone fell out of her pocket, but in her terror, she didn't even notice. The man waved his free hand towards the wall opposite them. Before she had time to register the fact that it was some sort of signal, four people, armed to the teeth and dressed all in black like the strange man in front of her, dropped out of seemingly nowhere and even before she had time to cry out, they had blindfolded her, tied her ankles and wrists together, and she was heaved into the back of a truck.

She lay there, like a sack of potatoes, wondering why they had done this. The truck bumped along the road, occasionally coming to a screeching halt. She could hear the low whisperings of voices up front, but could not make out a single word. She lost track of time, racking her brain to try and find out a solution to her dire situation. She could think of none. She tried to reach her pod phone in her pocket, only to remember it had dropped out of her pocket when the men had ambushed her. They drove on for what seemed like hours, and just as she was starting to doze off, a sharp smell roused her. She sniffed, and under the blindfold, her eyed widened. Smoke! And a lot of it. What did it mean? She wouldn't have time to contemplate that, as she was thrown forward as the truck abruptly halted, and the door opened. The smell of smoke increased, the thick smell wafting around her, and her stomach roiled with nausea. She was unceremoniously unbound, her blindfold taken off, and the first thing she saw was a smudge of red, orange, and yellow. Intense heat slapped her face. Fire! She realized they were facing an enormous burning building, and she was being dragged into it by her five captors. She let out an indignant,

"Hey! Watch it!" as they pushed her to the floor of a large room inside the burning building. The ground was wet, as to prevent it from catching fire. But the walls were ablaze, and the floor was streaked with ash. The four armed men left, and the one dressed all in black with the goatee and moustache sneered down at her. "What do you want? Why are you doing this?" she screamed at the guy, who seemed perfectly calm despite the fire all around them. "Oh, you'll find out soon, when Tony Stark comes to save you." He said with a Chinese accent. He smiled maliciously at her, and left, locking the door behind him. Her jaw dropped open in utter horror as she grasped the seriousness of her situation. She ran to the door, pounding on it, kicking it, trying for all the world to open it, to tell Tony about the trap the evil men had so cunningly laid for him, but with no avail. There was no way out.

She wanted to scream in anger, but an enormous CRACK split the roar of the fire, and she looked up just in time to see a wooden beam falling, straight at her…


	13. Chapter 13

Well, here we go, another chapter. Hope you guys enjoy it! Review thanks go to: Finny-Kun Goddess and SilverPedals1403. Hope you all like this chapter! R&R, Please!

IRON HEART chapter 13 "Pepper in Danger"

"Where IS she?" Tony said for the seventh time that day. "She should have been here ten minutes ago." "I dunno, man. She's not answering her phone?" Rhodey said. Tony shook his head no. "I mean, she hypes about it ALL day, she LOVES to go shopping, and she's late." Rhodey huffed. Tony felt uneasy. A sense of dread was slowly creeping into his heart. Why was she late? Or…was she really late? Had something happened to her? With all these troubling thoughts in his mind, he told Rhodey he was going to look for her.

"Wait, Tony, don't you remember?" Rhodey said, grabbing his friend's shoulder. "The armor systems are down until Friday! And the Stealth Armor isn't fire-capable yet…" Tony shook his head stubbornly. "Then I'll go without the Armor. She probably just forgot the directions, anyway." He added, hoping with all of his damaged heart that what he really suspected wasn't true.

~later on~

Walking down the street, he looked left and right for Pepper. He didn't see her. It was as if she had vanished. He quickened his pace, still searching in vain for her. (Where IS she?)

Turning down a sharp corner, he noticed something lying on the ground. Picking it up, a lump formed in his throat.

It was Pepper's cell phone.

Just then, fire truck sirens wailed in the distance, and, gripping her phone tightly, he stepped out of the dark street to see an ugly black funnel of smoke rising in the distance. And he knew with a terrible certainty that something terrible was happening to her. He promised himself that if-no, WHEN he got her out of this, he would finally gather the courage to tell her what he had always felt around her-love. Pocketing her phone, he broke into a dead run towards the black smoke in the distance, hanging in the sky like an evil omen, a sign of unavoidable danger.

And standing in the shadows, nearly invisible, was Zhang, watching him run, a malicious smile on his lips.

The plan was working.

Whoa…sorry this chapter is a little short. The next one will be a LOT longer.

Question#1: does anybody know a good "slow" dance song? I'm gonna need one for a later chapter. Please post if you know one! I was thinking of using "The One" by Skillet, but I'm not sure. So, anyway, thanks, all!


	14. Chapter 14

Hey, everyone! Thanks for commenting, SilverPedals1402, (Interesting song!)UnikDork, Finny-Kun Goddess, (I've got a song for the dance already, thanks for the suggestions! ( ) Also, Romaan Zolanski! You all rock, seriously! Thanks again, all! Let's get on wit da chapter, huh?

IRON HEART chapter 14 "Into the Inferno"

Tony ran past the wall of police officers, ignoring their shouts for him to stop, and entered the fiery building. Immediately, smoke invaded his lungs and he coughed, covering his mouth and nose with his elbow, and went on.

"Pepper! Where are you?" he shouted. Burning beams of wood were falling everywhere, as well as leaping flames, casting eerie shadows on the walls, like evil spirits, dancing, crackling and burning everything in their path. Looking around desperately, he ran past them, paying no heed to the wall of fire in his path, and he leapt over it. But the ground was slippery with ashes, and upon landing, he slipped and fell, hard. Wiping black streaks off his cheeks, he got up. But as soon as he did, he noticed that the ground was wet. Why? Thinking hard, he saw a dark path of murky water mixed with ash. Following the trail of water, he noticed that the walls were ablaze, but not the floor.

He came to a door, water leaking out of the bottom of it. He tried to open it, but it was locked. Typical. He pounded on the door and yelled, "Pepper!" his heart leaped up when he heard her voice yell back; "Tony! NO!"

(No?) he thought. Why had she said that? But he ignored the sliver of doubt in his mind, and pounded on the door, harder, but still it stood resiliently against his fists. Putting his shoulder against it, he leaned with all his might, and he heard it creak slightly, pushing harder, he then he fell forward as it suddenly gave way. Stumbling into the room, he saw a sight that made his heart twist in pain.

There was Pepper, lying on the ground, her back to him, unable to move because of an enormous wooden beam pinning her left leg to the ground. heart hammering painfully hard in his chest, Tony ran to her, and knelt down at her side. She looked up at him, her face scratched and streaked with ash, her eyes full of pain.

"Hold on Pepper, I'm going to get you out of this," Tony said, trying to sound reassuring despite his own fears. He ran to the wood pinning her down, and gripped it tightly. He pulled, trying with all his might to lift it, but it was really heavy. Gritting his teeth, he tugged harder at it, pulling it up, and this time, after a few moments' struggle, lifted it up off of her leg, and cast it aside, panting.

He was immediately at her side, cradling her in his arms. "Tony-don't…no…it's-a-trap!" Pepper gasped, her face white with pain. He held her closer, looking into her deep brown eyes.

"What? No! Pepper, I'm going to get you out of this. Just hold on, can you walk?" but when he tried to help her up, she cried out in pain. Gently putting her back down, he looked at her injured leg closely. It was covered with scratches and cuts, and it was bent at a slightly unnatural angle.

"T-Tony…y-you have to g-get out of h-here!" Pepper gasped, her face white with pain. Seeing her there, so helpless and hurt, Tony felt as if his heart would break.

"What? Pepper, no! I'm NOT going to leave you! I…I…" his voice broke. They both looked into each other's eyes for a moment, and Tony felt something inside him split. He felt a sense of deep relief, a feeling of calm despite the danger he was in. He knew then, what to say, how to tell her how he truly felt. When he continued, his voice trembled but he spoke with perfect truth.

"I'm not leaving you, Pepper. I love you."


	15. Chapter 15

Hey everyone! Sorry to leave you all hanging, so here's chapter 15! Hope you like it, and thanks to UnikDork and SilverPedals, and Alice. Dreamer 15. for commenting! Glad to see you're back, Alice! :)

Chapter 15 "Zhang's Plan"

Immediately, Tony's face turned red. And for someone with a chalk-white face, Pepper managed to blush quite pink too. Seeing how terribly embarrassed he was, Pepper smiled at him shyly, despite her increasing weakness. She could barely move.

"I love you too, Tony." The words were out of her mouth before she knew it. They both just sat there, stunned, hearts racing. Tony felt like he could stay that way forever, and Pepper too, when a resounding CRASH from a fallen beam of burning wood roused them.

"Hang on, Pep." He said, standing up and wrapping his arms around Pepper's knees and shoulders.

"What-"

And picked her up, tenderly cradling her in his arms.

"It's all right; I'm going to get you out of here." He said, looking her straight in the eye. Growing weaker by the second, Pepper gave him a weak but grateful smile, closed her eyes and leaned her head on his chest. She whispered, "Thank you, Tony." And he smiled down at her, resting in his arms. He kicked the broken door angrily, remembering his brief struggle with it, and they walked out. He followed the trail of murky water until it disappeared, close to the entrance. They would soon be back at the entrance, and he would take her to the Armory.

'Tap… Tap… Tap…'

the only sounds were of his shoes making that hollow sound…'Tap…Tap… Tap…' the sounds echoed across the silent building, and the eerie shadows that danced across the walls were gone, leaving a strange and spine-chilling silence.

(Just a little more…) he thought hopefully. They were going to make it out! Not much longer… (Wait, something's different,) he thought suddenly, looking at their surroundings. Narrowing his eyes, he moved closer to the strangely lumpy walls. Wait, those weren't lumps…they were packs of Dynamite! His eyes widened with horror as he recognized the packs of dynamite's familiar label. The label read 'Stark International Remote-Detonating Explosives. Caution; handle with care'.

(Those weren't there before!) He thought in shock. He caught a small movement in the corner of his eye and he wheeled around, to see a shadowy figure. He was holding some kind of remote. In an instant, Tony knew what was going to happen. He quickly turned his back on the explosives, holding Pepper close to his chest protectively, bracing himself. Time seemed to slow down, and he had only one thought-

(I'm gonna die.) Several things happened all at once, there was a sound like the clanking of a hammer, and a sudden flash of (pardon the pun) stark white swooped down upon them just as the dark figure press a button on the remote, but then he screamed as his and Pepper's world was torn with a massive explosion.

~FLASHBACK~

Zhang watched in severe anger as Tony, whom he had failed to trap, picked up the girl and resolutely started off, walking back the way he had come.

Not only had he, Zhang, not been able to trap Tony in the fiery room where he had hidden the girl, but now both she and Tony were walking away, unharmed. His plan had failed. The plan was to have trapped Tony in the room with Pepper. Once he was trapped, with no way out, it was then that he, Zhang, would execute Pepper, leaving Tony beyond the greatest despair, an easy target. But Zhang gritted his teeth, one of the four men of his squad had failed to slam the door shut and relock it, because Tony had broken it.

Zhang refused to let him escape so easily. He plucked the small walkie-talkie from his belt and whispered into it, "Prepare the explosives, room A, west wall. Do it quickly." And put it back, smiling. (The explosives shall finish both him and his little girlfriend,) he thought with a malicious pleasure. (It will be the perfect revenge for humiliating me in front of my loyal soldiers, back in Machu Picchu.) And, feeling very pleased with himself, he sneaked off to the room where his small squad were setting up the explosives.


	16. Chapter 16

**Hiya, everyone! I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while, thanks to my younger CRYBABY brother who got me grounded. (UGH)**

**Anyway, thank you, CindyLou30, (YOU ROCK! Thanks for everything!) Alice. Dreamer 15, (Thanks for the recommendations!) Finny-Kun Goddess, UnikDork, (Hehe I won't leave you hanging for long! ) And last but NEVER least, SilverPedals. Thanks, all, now let's get on with the literature!**

**Iron Heart Chapter 15 "Rescued (again)"**

The fire had mostly stopped. Grimy ashes and a few glowing cinders lay scattered across the floor. The police and firemen would be there at any given second, and would find the two teens lying on the ground, surprisingly unhurt, yet weak and seemingly defenseless.

Tony moaned softly, putting his hands to his aching head. He sat up, running his hands around his body, mainly his chest. He could find nothing wrong, except for a few minor burns on his arms, and a rather large cut, stinging slightly, ran down his back.

That was all.

He frowned, thinking his lack of extreme injuries was a little strange. (Those had been Stark International explosives), he thought. He should have been killed in the explosion…or, at least maimed…and who was that man? He seemed so familiar…thanks to his big brain, he figured it out quickly. He was Gene's stepdad, Zhang Khan. He must have been hired by Stane! But he had no time to ponder this, because his next thought was, (Oh, nuts! Pepper!) And in a heartbeat, he was up and running, (or rather, staggering), to her side.

He knelt down next to her unconscious form, pressing his fingers to her neck. He felt a pulse. Weak, but a pulse nonetheless. He breathed a sigh of relief. Taking her once more into his arms, he checked her for any injuries, but like him, she had very little apart from a few small burns and scrapes.

He had shielded her from the explosion, therefore risking his own life, but why hadn't he been hurt much more? The explosion, he recalled, was enormous! (But what had caused that momentary flash of white?) He wondered.

His question was answered a moment later.

There was another clank, like the one he had heard just before the explosion, and he heard a familiar voice moan, electronically distorted, "Okay, dude, you SERIOUSLY owe me for this one." As he turned his head to locate the source of the voice, and saw War Machine walking towards him, his armor streaked with black ash from the explosion.

"Rhodey!"

"Yep, it's me." he said, walking over to where Tony was holding Pepper. He let the face mask of his armor hiss open, revealing his face. His eyes widened when he saw Pepper's unconscious form.

"Oh, man, is she okay? Are YOU okay?" he asked anxiously. Tony nodded.

"Yeah, Thanks to you. It was you who shielded me and Pepper, right?" Rhodey blushed.

"Well-I-uh-yeah, sort of." Tony grinned at him.

"Thanks. How'd you know we were here?"

"Followed you. As soon as you ran off to the building, I saw a weird guy watching you, and I decided to suit up. I got here as fast as I can, and I…well…I kinda knocked him and four other men out. They're all tied up now, and unconscious back at the Armory. Who's the leader, though?"

"His name is Zhang Khan."

"Gene's stepdad? Seriously? Who…oh, wait, let me guess. Stane hired him."

Tony sighed wearily. "Yep, he did. Honestly, I've got like two personal assassins now! And Ghost…Ghost is really powerful. He knows about the Negator packs now, and since Hammer hired him, he's probably found a way to overcome them."

"Don't worry about it, man. Right now we have to get you and Pepper to the hospital." Tony shook his head forlornly. "I DON'T NEED TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL! And No, we'll take her to the Armory. Her leg is fine; it's just sprained a little bit. Besides," he said, glaring at Rhodey as he tried to protest.

"Look, Rhodey, I'm worried too! But I KNOW that it's a bad idea to go to the hospital. It's just not necessary."

While the two were arguing, Pepper slowly opened her eyes. She squinted, trying to make out the two shapes hovering over her. As her eyes began to focus, she slowly realized that she was in Tony's arms, and that Rhodey was there as War Machine. She blinked. "Tony...Rhodey?..." she whispered weakly. Alarmed, the two immediately stopped arguing and looked at her. Tony leaned closer.

"Pepper? Are you okay?" she nodded slightly, though Tony could see how the simple gesture hurt. His eyebrows knit with concern. "Just hold on a little longer, Pepper, we're taking you to the Armory. It'll be all right." She smiled faintly, but her eyes, slowly closing, glowed with gratitude. And when Tony looked into those beautiful chocolate eyes, he felt he needed no more, felt like he was complete.

"Th-thank you, Tony." She whispered. Then, using the last of her rapidly failing strength, she looked up at him, leaned closer, and kissed his cheek before drifting once more into unconsciousness and falling back into his arms.

Tony just sat there, stunned for a minute. He could feel Rhodey's openmouthed stare at him. But he soon shook his shock off and stood up, cradling her like a child. Without speaking, he and Rhodey walked down the long hallways, stepping over giant chunks of debris and fallen wood, and soon they were out, into the blinding sunlight of daytime. The police and firemen had left, the fire put out, and believing that Iron Man had found the person trapped inside. They both looked at each other, and an understanding passed between them. Tony carefully transferred Pepper over to Rhodey.

"All right, Tony. You win; I'll take her to the Armory. Sure you don't want a ride there?" Tony shook his head no. "I'll be fine, I can catch a taxi. Besides, it'll look weird if War Machine is carrying two people at once. One person is less suspicious." Rhodey nodded, and upon closing the face mask of his armor, he rocketed out, set on a straight course for the Armory.

Tony watched him fly off, almost wishing he could do the same; taxis were slow, especially since it happened to be rush hour. He focused on the street, waiting for the familiar yellow-and-black-checkered car to drive by, and as he did, he tilted his head up to watch Rhodey fly away. But wait…something wasn't right…he saw the vague shape of War Machine, a black silhouette against the setting sun, but there was another shape close behind him. Somebody was following Rhodey on the way back to the Armory! He frantically waved to a passing taxi and hurriedly got in, giving the elderly driver directions to where he wanted to go and giving him an extra 20$ to hurry up.

Maybe he shouldn't have. The old guy drove like a demon, ignoring pedestrians and going 20 miles above the speed limit. Although Tony thought that they would be arrested before they got to the Armory, he called Rhodey and told him he was being followed.

"I know," his friend replied. "And I can't see who it is, he keeps shooting at me, then disappearing! I'd bet my entire collection of Marvel™ Comic books that it's Ghost."

"I think we should try the plan. I'm going to suit up as soon as I can, just don't lead him to the Armory! And keep Pepper safe!"

"WHAT! The plan? It's not even finished yet!"

"Trust me!" Tony said as an explosion rang through the phone. Rhodey shouted in pain, and their phones disconnected.

Putting the phone in his pocket, he gritted his teeth in both nervousness and anticipation. Whenever he had some free time, Tony would work on a special project he called 'Technovore 1.0.', and he had barely perfected it, but now it was his only hope for defeating Ghost permanently.

(This will be the last battle,) he thought. (At last, I will fight Ghost once and for all.)


	17. Chapter 17

**NOTE: This may not be my best chapter, but I was rushed. Sorry!**

**Alright, first a great big THANK YOU to all you awesome people who comment here! Specifically, CindyLou30 (HAPPY BIRTHDAY, YOU AWESOME PERSON!) Maddi Paige, (Hahaha I love your faces! Very creative!) Finny-Kun Goddess, Alice. Dreamer 15, SilverPedals1402, and CindyLou30. *Whew* Lot of you out there! Thanks again, now let's GO!**

Iron Heart chapter 17 "Ready The Virus"

"Argh, doesn't he ever know when to quit?" Rhodey muttered, dodging a laser blast, courtesy of Ghost. He had been fighting Ghost for about ten minutes now, and had been blasted many times, and yet he could hardly ever hit back, because he was holding Pepper. Indeed, just that moment, the sides of the hovercraft Ghost flew on opened up and released a green bolt of energy, hitting Rhodey square in the back.

[Warning-power at 50% and dropping.] War Machine's computer warned him as the green electrical current ran through his armor, slowly draining his power.

"NO!" he screamed as Pepper slipped and fell out of his grasp, and, now fully conscious, shrieked in fear and started to plummet towards the ground, miles below.

(Please, Tony, it has to be now!) He thought, diving after her. Just as he was about to grab her ankle, he felt Ghost closing his hands around both feet and hauling him up, away from Pepper. As they ascended, he switched his grasp to Rhodey's hands and held them behind his back, oblivious to War Machine's violent struggles.

"I don't think so, kid! That idiot Zhang had a great idea. Once she's dead, Tony will be an easy target-but since he's not here right now, I'll just destroy BOTH of you!"

He laughed in glee at his triumph over War Machine-but stopped suddenly, as a Blue-and-black streak flew towards the falling girl and caught her before flying off and placing her safely on top of a building.

(The Stealth Armor!)

Ghost snarled like an animal, and pulled out yet another gun from his belt and pointed it at Rhodey's head. His finger hadn't even touched the trigger yet when Tony suddenly turned around in flight and streaked towards them, so fast that he looked like a dark blue comet, and punched Ghost square in the face, knocking him straight off his hovercraft (and probably also breaking his nose). Before he could summon it back, Rhodey grabbed it and in one swift motion that was fueled by his intense anger, snapped it easily in half while Tony dived to retrieve a very aggravated Ghost.

Holding Ghost up by one arm, and shoving a charged Repulser one foot away from his face, Tony glared at his enemy with such an intense loathing that Ghost almost looked away. But instead, he returned Tony's glare and clenched his teeth as he spoke.

"So what're ya going to do with me? Kill me? Don't forget that video I shot of you, taking off the Armor! It-"

"Yeah, I know, it gets uploaded onto the internet in a heartbeat if you die. You told me already." Tony looked questioningly at Rhodey.

"Should we try it now?"

And at his friend's approving nod, Tony reached over with his free hand to the forearm of his other arm, popped it open, and took a delicate-looking black triangular object from the cavity inside.

"Well, now's a great time to see if it works or not!" he remarked, and attached it to Ghost's forehead, then pushed down on it.


	18. Chapter 18

**Alright! Thanks to CindyLou30, SilverPedals1402, UnikDork, and Finny-Kun Goddess for commenting and being SUUUPER awesome and encouraging! You guys ROCK SOO HARD! Smiles! :)**

Chapter 18 "Ghost Flips Out (again)"

Immediately, the black device dissolved into hundreds of tiny particles, slowly creeping under Ghost's hood, and soon had vanished from sight.

[Technovore 1.0 Nanobots online,] Tony's computer informed him.

"Good. Nanobots, delete all memory stored on the databases." He said, relishing the last seven words. Ghost's violent struggles increased as he heard what Tony had said. He twisted and turned, spitting and howling his rage in a vain attempt to free himself as the destructive Nanobots started to eat away his Armor's computer. Tony and Rhodey watched anxiously as the computer said, [Technovore 1.0 Nanobots currently deleting enemy data.] Then Tony and Rhodey's Armor monitors flashed red, and an "Alert" sign rolled into view.

[WARNING] It said a moment later, [Large amounts of energy forming detected on enemy armor. Strange energy levels also detected on enemy's body. Enemy's Armor is becoming unstable due to energy buildup. Large detonation imminent.] Tony and Rhodey's mouths dropped open in horror. "His…his armor! Its…its draining energy from…"

"From us!" Rhodey finished, seeing the energy levels in War Machine's systems dropping, rapidly.

"Computer, when will the detonation occur?" Tony demanded, speaking over Ghost's maniacal laughter. [Detonation to occur in: four minutes. Size of explosion is incalculable. Alert: Implant energy levels also depleting.] "I know!" Tony hissed, and indeed, he was starting to feel weaker, and despite the flashing red alert lights, everything started to dim. "Tony…" Rhodey warned. "He's draining all our power! We have to get lower to the ground!" Tony was about to reply, when Ghost laughed harshly, an edge to his joyless laughter that betrayed his madness.

"Forget it!" he spat. "You'll never make it! Thought you disarmed me completely, huh? Well, there's one thing you CAN'T take away!"

"A mutant's powers!" He then laughed, even as Tony's Nanobots devoured the last of his armor's data. Rhodey and Tony were left speechless. "He's…he's…a mutant?" Tony gasped. But, looking at the energy levels coming off Ghost's body, he could believe it. "Tony, that's why! He's a mutant! He must be able to physically drain energy from tech, around him!" Rhodey gasped. Ghost laughed again, almost shrieking in mad glee.

"Finally figured it out, didya? Yes, I'm a mutant! I CAN drain power from any tech, and store it! The one thing though, is that I have to release it…or else I'll explode. So, that's just what I'm gonna do! You, your pathetic friends, your _girlfriend, _Pepper, and all of New York is gonna blow! And there's nothing you can do about it." He finished, smirking, as Tony and Rhodey's boot jets started to sputter weakly, making them lose altitude. With no other choice, Tony and Rhodey descended, hovering a couple hundred feet over a grassy plain, odd for New York, yes.

[Caution: detonation to occur in: three minutes.] Rhodey opened the face mask, and Tony did likewise. They looked at each other, grim expressions. "Tony…are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Other than the fact that Ghost here is a total maniac, we are, but we can't kill him. It's just not right!" He protested.

"Tony, what other choice do we have?" Rhodey asked. Tony gritted his teeth and turned away, as Ghost once more laughed and let out a stream of insults.

(_We can't kill him! There HAS to be some other way!_) He thought, almost desperate. (_But WHAT other way? There is none!)_

"ARGHH!" he screamed at his indecision. His head was pounding, and his Implant was starting to sting, the electricity inside of it going haywire. Frustrated and overwhelmed, he clenched his fists.

(_There's nothing else to do. We have to kill him_.)


	19. Chapter 19

**Well, you asked for a quick update, so I hope this one isn't too late! Thanks to Cindylou30, (YAYYY bunnies! I lubs bunnies! Hugs!), SilverPedals1402, (AHH! Don't let your head explode! :O) UnikDork, (Haha, thanks! I try to be suspenseful. Glad you think so!) Now, onward but not upward!**

**P.S. This one's a little short, but I'll update quickly.**

Chapter 19 "Pepper and the Hulkbuster Armor.

Pushing past the old stone door, Pepper ran inside of the old Makluan temple, heading straight for the secret Armory. Despite the fact that Tony had told her to stay put, on top of the building, (!) she had ran down the building's staircases the moment she could, hailed a taxi, and ran to the Armory. Why? She wasn't sure. She could only say that she knew that Tony and Rhodey needed help, and that she was convinced they'd need backup. (_But no,)_ She thought resolutely. _(Not help from the chair thingy. It's time for some real action.)_ She ran past the large metal door, and into the Armory. She slowed to a halt, and looked up at the Hulkbuster Armor. Her heart leaped at the sight of it-red and gold armor, so many times bigger than herself, capable of much destruction…and death. Tony had only recently rebuilt it, upgrades and all, and it hadn't been tested yet, but no matter. This was an emergency. She climbed up the steel ladder that sat next to it, and with slight difficulty, clambered in.

~A few minutes later~

"Computer, lock on to Tony and Rhodey's pod phone coordinates." Pepper commanded as she hovered hundreds of feet in the air, in the Hulkbuster. [Error. The pod phones are unresponsive and disconnected.] "What?" she muttered.

"Computer, locate the Stealth Armor and the War Machine Armor." After a moment, the computer spoke again. [Stealth and War Machine Armors located.] She sighed with relief, and was about to set off for them, when the Armor's alert light came on. [Caution: Immense energy source detected at location of Stealth and War Machine Armors. Energy levels in both armors are rapidly decreasing, due to unknown source.] Pepper blinked, undiscouraged, and said, "Computer. Power up all weapons." And with a loud blast of the boot jets, set off for Tony and Rhodey's location.


	20. Chapter 20

**Twenty chapters! WOOT WOOT! :D Thanks everyone for helping me go this far! CindyLou30, (HAHA find your pencil!) UnikDork, (Thanks for the congrats! You rock!) Finny-Kun Goddess, (Glad you think so! Hope you think it gets better!) and SilverPedals1402, (LOL, thanks, I'm sorry I made you scream! XD) you all ROCK for commenting, and…well, I'll stop jabbering on about how totally amazingly awesome you are…let's READ! :P**

Chapter 20, "Power Outage"

As she flew overhead, preparing to descend, Pepper heard Tony's shout of rage. She shot down like a rocket when he turned towards Ghost, his Repulsers crackling with the energy they held, and she landed hard, creating a small crater. She was not hurt, the landing was merely a small jolt, and she walked towards Tony and Rhodey, her armor connecting with theirs so that they could speak to one another.

"Pepper!" Tony was shocked to see her. "What are you doing here?" Rhodey said incredulously, speaking Tony's thoughts.

"That's not important right now! What happened? And why is Ghost…" her voice trailed off as the Hulkbuster's computer spoke urgently. [Immense amounts of destructive energy gathering in enemy "Ghost's" body. Detonation of energy to occur in: two minutes. Power levels draining rapidly.] Then Tony spoke up, sounding tired.

"Pepper, I'll tell you everything later, but to make it short: Ghost is a mutant. He can drain all the power from everything around him, including people, and he's going to explode and destroy all of New York in less than two minutes unless…."

"Unless we kill him." Rhodey finished grimly. Pepper could've sat there all day, shocked by Ghost's secret, but just then, all of their Armor's computers spoke. [Detonation to occur in: one minute. Beginning ten-second countdown.] All three of them panicked; what else could they do? Tony refused to become a killer, and both Rhodey and Pepper felt the same way. A line of sweat tricked down Tony's neck as he desperately tried to think of something, some plan, anything that would stabilize Ghost's powers…while Ghost only laughed his insane laugh. [Caution: power levels at three percent. Heart implant at ten percent power and rapidly decreasing, fifty seconds until explosion.] Tony felt his knees grow weak, and through the fog that clouded his vision, he saw Ghost's body become light; he was literally glowing yellow as his powers gave him energy.

[Forty seconds.] Tony suddenly thought of something, a hope. Merely a spark, but that spark was still something. Tony steeled his nerves, for he knew that if he failed, it would be the last thing he ever did. He stuck out his hand towards Ghost. "Tony…what're you doing?" Pepper asked, sounding scared.

"Do you remember, a while ago, when I attacked Stane's Earth Movers for the first time?" he said, his voice steely calm despite the terrible danger they were in. They nodded. "Well, basically I absorbed the energy from the Earth Movers to shut them down. If I did it once, I can do it again. I doubt I can drain all of the energy he's taken, but I can lessen the magnitude of his…explosion." He spoke quickly, for the computer warned them they had thirty seconds. And before Rhodey and Pepper could protest, he launched himself at Ghost, wresting him from Rhodey's grip, closing his hand around his wrist and shoving him to the ground.

Immediately, a surge of pure power ran through his Armor, crackling and burning, smelling of ozone. He gritted his teeth tightly as pain like a million daggers if pain stabbed him all over. "Computer…" he gasped. "Absorb all energy from Ghost!" [Matching power frequency. Implant at five percent power.] It informed him. He let out in involuntary groan; he could hear nothing but the crackling of electricity and the beeping alarm of his Armor's computer systems.

[Power frequency matched. Absorbing power. Ten seconds.] Tony couldn't help it; he screamed in pain. He saw nothing, heard nothing, just the faint shouts of Rhodey and Pepper, telling him to stop, and the computer slowly counting down the moments until the explosion.

[Caution: severe strain to user's heart detected. Recommend recharge and rest. three seconds.] His voice hoarse from the pain, he yelled, "Rhodey! Pepper! Fly away, NOW!"

[One.]

A deafening explosion filled his head, and his world became one of fire and a tearing pain all over. He vaguely remembered being thrown back several hundred feet, rolling and skidding across the grass, before finally coming to a stop when he slammed into a large tree. His head swam, his heart throbbed painfully hard, and he lost consciousness.

~ Later~

Tony awoke, feeling extremely lightheaded, cold, and dizzy. His vision was blurry; he couldn't make out even the slightest shapes. His armor was gone, and he was…flying. Just above him, he saw the vague blur of War Machine and The Hulkbuster, flying beside him. He could hear a few words of Rhodey and Pepper's conversation.

"Tony…implant damaged…really bad."

"Hospital...Armory…don't think so…" and then he could hear no more, he closed his eyes and once more, and the world faded into black.


	21. Chapter 21

**Well, since I hate to leave things hanging, I now present: chapter 21. This may not be my best chapter, but R&R anyway, please.**

**CindyLou30-Ahhh! You were right! Your psychic powers are AMAZING! :D**

**Finny-Kun Goddess-Thanks! Hope you think it gets even better! And don't worry 'bout finding something to say, it's all chill. :)**

**SilverPedals1402-Haha, thanks so much! I'm glad you think so! **

**Quickie note-the beginning, in italics, isn't real. Just a couple of warning dreams. :)**

Chapter 21 "Decisions"

(…"_I have discovered something truly astounding!"_ _Obadiah Stane announced, on worldwide TV. Everyone in America was watching. Tony, held next to Stane by two buff guards, gasped and tried to wriggle free, but to no avail. Stane smirked and continued._

_"The identity of our city's hero, Iron Man, is…_

_"Tony Stark."_

_The nation gasped, suddenly recognizing the similarities between Iron man and Tony Stark. Tony struggled fiercely, burning with shame. It was all over. He was exposed. The guards brought him forth to the immense crowd, and Obadiah smiled slyly and pulled out a pistol. Tony barely had time to shout, "NOO!" as the old man pulled the trigger and Tony's lifeless form fell to the ground._

_Stane grinned, spreading his arms out in glee as the world cheered him on.)_

The dream changed.

(_Tony watched in horror as Ghost, imbued with impossible amounts of energy, screamed like a feral animal and created an explosion. He could not move or speak, and could only watch in heart-tearing pain as Pepper and Rhodey, his two best friends in the whole world, screamed in fear and were consumed by the merciless flames that raked New York's desolate ruins._

_Breaking free of his paralyzing bind, Tony let out a huge scream; a scream of pain, sorrow, and the deepest anguish imaginable. Then, falling to his knees, tears flooded his eyes as he gripped the fact that Pepper, Rhodey, and everyone and everything he ever cared about were gone._

_Gone…_

_GONE…_

_GONE!)_

Tony gasped and sat up, clawing at the white sheets of his bed. Immediately he lay back down, groaning. His bare chest heaved with each breath, the nightmare had seemed so real…so real! He put a hand over his implant, and clumsily his fingers closed around the recharger, which was plugged in. he blinked, not understanding, when he caught sight of Rhodey and Pepper, bent over him with concern. The digital clock to his left read 6:37 A.M.; he had slept through the night, which made today…Friday.

When he struggled to rise, Rhodey stopped him, saying, "Easy. You need to rest a while. That explosion was pretty rough..." But Tony shook his head stubbornly and sat up, and eventually stood, leaning on Pepper for support. Fighting dizziness, he asked them what happened while he was unconscious.

"After you blacked out, we found Ghost still alive somehow, drained of all his power. He's in the Armory's prison room now with Zhang, tied up and gagged. After we tied him up, we found you. The Stealth Armor was…well, pretty much destroyed, it was just barely hanging on to you, and it was in pieces. So, we removed it and brought you and the pieces back here. The Armory's medical systems said your heart needed a major recharge, and minor repair, so we used the chest piece of the old Mark1, put it on you, and it fixed you right up. We then put you on the bed…and plugged in the charger. While you were sleeping, I filled Pepper in on what happened with Ghost and all. That's when you woke up."

"Your implant's going to need a while to charge completely, Ghost drained it so much." Pepper chimed in.

"Well, I'm going to have to do it later. Today's Friday, and the Mark 2 is ready for use." Tony growled.

"What?" Pepper and Rhodey shrieked at the same time.

"We still have to make sure that Zhang and Ghost are turned in, and put in a high-security prison. Or maybe a hospital for the mentally challenged. Not only that, but we need to make sure that Stane and Hammer won't tell the whole world who I am." He reminded them, and saying so, he unplugged the charger and set it on a nearby desk. Rhodey and Pepper tried to protest, but he interrupted, saying, "Guys, it won't take much to blackmail Stane and Hammer into keeping the secret. We can't wait, once Hammer and Stane find out their assassins are…in captivity…they'll most likely resort to blackmailing me over my identity." He concluded gravely.

"So…how can we stop them from telling everyone who you are? Who's to say that they haven't told everyone already?" Pepper exclaimed, her eyes growing wide.

"If they did, then the police, the F.B.I., the C.I.A., and possibly the M.R.D. would be breaking in here this moment. I don't think they told anyone just yet, so let's go before they do." Tony said decisively, tugging on his bright red shirt.

Rhodey frowned, frustrated. "When will I ever get a say in things?"

Tony grinned triumphantly. "As soon as you and Pepper armor up. Let's go."

(_Man, why does he have to be so impulsive?_) Rhodey thought angrily.


	22. Chapter 22

**HAY everybody!...lol, idk what to say except for thanks to:**

**Marvel789 (Great to hear from you again! )**

**UnikDork, (Haha, thanks! I love to describe things. I sometimes wonder if I'm better at descriptions than actual writing. XD) **

**SilverPedals1402, (Aw, thanks!)**

**CindyLou30, (Hahaha, thanks! I'm glad you thought so! Oh, and are you a mutant yourself? ;) )**

**UltraRed55, (YAY! Glad you're here! And thanks!)**

**And last but never least, Finny-Kun Goddess, (Don't worry! You'll soon see…muahaha!)**

**Well, enough of my evilness. CHAPTER CHAPTER CHAPTER YAYY! :D**

Chapter 22 "Blackmail"

Tony, Rhodey, and Pepper hovered over the skyline of New York, the blue river of sky streaked with red, orange, and yellow like fire as the sun began to rise. The air was still and crisp, the city was buzzing with activity as usual, and the birds in the frost-coated trees sung their soft, trilling melodies. The three friends flew on a direct course to Stark International, their boot jets cutting the silence of early morning.

"Tony, are you sure you're up for this?" Rhodey asked anxiously through the armor's comm. systems as his friend clenched his teeth as if in pain, wincing.

"I told you, I'll be fine! I'll recharge completely when we get back to the Armory. There's no time to waste here. Remember, this isn't a war mission," Tony reminded them, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "We're only going to bully Stane into keeping the secret. Oh-and to stop trying to kill me…yeah, that's probably important, too."

"And if-I mean, when-he refuses?" Rhodey said apprehensively. Tony spoke with the gleam of mischief in his eyes.

"Then we'll show the whole world the video footage of him hiring Ghost to kill me. It wouldn't be hard to hack into all the world's computers and TVs." Tony said with satisfaction. That ended the debate, and they flew on to Stark International.

To make a long story short, things went rather well. Stane only summoned twenty heavily armed guards after the three armored warriors showed up, which was strange, because Stane usually went for fifty. Nonetheless, though, the three easily blasted them down, and Tony pinned Stane to the wall, shoving a charged Repulser in his enemy's face. After a heated debate, several insults, and MUCH creative cursing, Stane agreed to keep Tony's secret, to stop trying to assassinate him, and his friends. Satisfied, Tony released Stane, letting him fall onto the floor clutching his throat as he recovered his breath.

Obadiah looked up just as the three left. His abhorrent gaze followed Tony as he flew away, flanked by War Machine and The Hulkbuster. He seethed with a primal rage, literally shaking with anger, wishing with every fiber in his being to tear the young brat's throat out. Tony had wounded his pride, and he wasn't going to forget it.

Ever.

~Ten Minutes Later~

"Tony, hang on!" Rhodey said frantically through the comm. systems, watching his best friend slowly lose altitude as they flew away from Hammer Multinational.

Minutes ago, they had gotten Justin Hammer to swear to keep the secret, though Tony had to hack his computer systems and glitch up the Titanium Man Armor first. A small chase then occurred, with the wily Justin using the elevator to go up and down Hammer Multinational's many floors, until Tony got into the computer systems once more and froze it on the 53d level, allowing them to finally corner him.

Now, mere minutes later, on the way back to the Armory, Tony's injuries had finally caught up with him.

"I…can't! Need a recharge…fast!" Tony gasped as spots danced in his eyes, clouding his vision. He let out in involuntary groan of pain as his head and chest throbbed hard with pain, once, twice…the third time it pounded, his vision blinked and failed.

the last thing he remembered before he lost consciousness was Pepper and Rhodey, hurriedly helping him out of the armor, a bright light, and the frantic yet quickly fading beats of his heart. A gust of frigid air swirled around his chest, and, shivering, he sank into a dreamless sleep, for the second time that day.


	23. Chapter 23

**MAN! I'M SO GLAD TO BE BACK ON! I was grounded for a while and couldn't get on…BUT NOW I'M FREE! So, as is customary, I'll begin the chapter with a few thank-yous to all you awesome people!**

**Thanks to:**

**Alice. Dreamer 15-Lol! You'll get more!**

**UnikDork-Thanks! :)**

**Marvel789-Sorry it took so long to update! Groundation is a terrible thing. :(**

**SilverPedals1402-Aw, thanks! You make me blush!**

**UntraRed55-Haha, thank you! Don't forget, you're an amazing writer, too!**

**Finny-Kun Goddess-Cool! Glad you thi8nk so!**

**CindyLou30-Thanks for being so awesome! Hope that School and all goes well for ya!**

**Well, now that I've thanks all of you, let's get ON WITH THE CHAPTER!**

Chapter 23 "Stane's Revenge"

(Once more, Tony awoke to find himself in the desolate ruins of New York. Half-smashed buildings, crushed roads, flattened vendors and random bricks littered the street, and the sky was grey, ominous, like the calm before a massive storm. He slowly stood up, and realized two things: One, his clothes were in tatters, burned and torn, and he could see his broken implant barely glowing, through an especially large tear. Two, he was hearing a faint booming noise.

Something was approaching. He could feel it shaking the burned land, growing closer at an alarming rate. His only thought was to run, but as he turned around, he knew it was too late.

A massive shadow loomed over him, its caster invisible through the fog, and stopped.

Its arm slashed through the air, clearing the thick white fog ahead of it, and stepped into view. "Ironmonger…" Tony breathed. He clenched his fists and stuck out his jaw stubbornly. Looking up at the foreshadowing robot, he shouted, "Stane! I know it's you! What did you do with Rhodey and Pepper?" The figure bent down low, and Tony could swear he heard a rumbling chuckle from it.

That's funny; he always figured Stane didn't know how to laugh.

Now only three feet away from his body, the cockpit opened and formed a holographic image of Obadiah, wearing an intolerably smug expression. His grey eyes twinkled with the gleam of malicious happiness that betrayed his madness.

"Oh, it doesn't matter what I did to THEM, Tony, it's what I'm going to do to YOU!" He snarled, and before Tony could react, he straightened up and closed one of his massive fists around Tony, lifting him into the air and crushing his lungs.

"Aghh…L-let me go!" Tony shouted, unable to break free of Stane's (Pardon the pun) iron grip. "Never!" His enemy growled, and squeezed him tighter.

Tony's chest was on fire; pain shot up his spine, and as he screamed, a bright light suddenly cut through the dismal grey fog,)

And he awoke.

He sat up suddenly, startling Rhodey and Pepper, who were standing beside him. Once more, he was in the emergency Cot, back at The Armory. He looked down to see the charger plugged into his heart. As he shakily stood up, he could feel Rhodey and Pepper watching him anxiously.

"Tony, you should rest-" Rhodey hadn't even finished his sentence before Tony shook his head vigorously.

"No." he said, reaching up to unplug the charger. Pepper suddenly marched up to him, and grabbed his hand and pulled it off the charger.

"No, you ARE going to stay right there and wait for your heart to recharge. You don't want to go fainting in midair again, do you? No, you don't. So, for ONCE IN YOUR LIFE, you WILL stay there, you WILL rest, and you WILL NOT move!" She stopped to recover her breath. ranting like that could really take it out of you. Rhodey and Tony looked struck.

"Yeah, Tony, I'm thinking you should do what she says. You don't want to get Pepper mad!" he added in a joking whisper. Both of them began to crack up, while Pepper stood there, indignant. "Guys, really, I'm fine. I only-" He tried to explain, but Rhodey spoke up before he could say more. "No, Tony. Pepper's right. Your heart barely had a chance to recharge since the thing with Ghost, and now's a good time to finish the charge." He glanced at the computer monitor, which read, [Implant charging process 84% completed.]

"You'll be fully charged in no time, man. Just a little while longer." He said reassuringly.

Tony sighed. "Fine." He grumbled.

"But I'm not going to like it."

And so, for another half hour, the three friends talked, waiting fro the charge to be completed. They discussed where to put Ghost and Zhang, and decided on a high-security jail, located out on the ocean, as to prevent the inmates from escaping. Tony sighed.

"No, Pepper, Alcatraz Island is now a museum. It isn't a jail anymore. This is different, not even the F.B.I. knows about it! Only the most trusted government agents, plus S.H.E.I.L.D. know it exists."

"And, just HOW did you figure this out, Tony?" Pepper demanded suspiciously, but even she was impressed. He smirked. "Oh, I have my ways." Before Pepper or Rhodey could object, the soft yet insistent BEEP…well, beeped…and the Armory's computer spoke up. The charge was complete.

"Finally!" Tony exclaimed. He unplugged the charger and set it on the table nest to his shirt. Tugging it on, he spoke with a slightly muffled voice. "Now, let's go and-" he was interrupted by a humongous booming noise, just like the one in his nightmare. His eyes widened with recognition and he hurriedly strode over to the monitor.

"Tony, what is it?" Rhodey asked anxiously as his friend turned on the news, staring at the screen intently with apprehension. "NO…" he whispered. Rhodey and Pepper came over, and gasped at what the news showed.

Iron Monger was attacking New York.

And he demanded a fight with Iron Man.


	24. Chapter 24

**Sorry it took me so long to update, as I've mentioned in some PMs, I've been grounded among…other things. (If you'd like to know more PM me) so anyway here's the chapter! But wait…first some…THANKS YOUS! :D**

**SilverPedals1402-Aw, thanks! Haha, deeeep breathing! XD**

**UltraRed55-Thanks, but you rock WAY much more than I do! :)**

**Finny-Kun Goddess-We'll se if they do…and wait no more! (Obviously haha!)**

**Marvel789-Yea, it stunk, then I just got grounded again! Oh well, freedom, sweet freedom! And my younger bro is JUST like that!**

**DJ Rocker-Thanks! Wow, I'm glad you actually read this! :)**

**Stark126-Haha, thanks!**

**UnikDork-Thank youu!**

**CindyLou30-LOL! Thank you! And to celebrate, I drank 1.5 cans of Dr. Pepper in less than 1 ½ minutes, then went to see a movie about monkeys! :D**

Chapter 24 "Stane, the Monger of Iron."

Grinning with pleasure at the citizen's terror, Stane stomped a red convertible into the ground. When its alarm started up, he growled and picked it up, hurling it several miles away, and continued his murderous rampage.

A woman was running from the terrible Monster that was attacking New York, and she suddenly heard something. The off-key alarm of a car, and the rushing of wind. She looked up just in time to see a smashed-up red car hurtling towards her. She screamed and ran, bout she knew she was doomed. She crouched down, preparing to die, but less than a second later, there was another rushing sound, then the clank of metal. She dared to look up and saw a red-and-gold figure shoot away; the car parked a safe distance from her. Tears of joy flooded down her cheeks, her life had been saved, and she lifted her head up to the sky and shouted, "Thank you, Iron Man!" he turned his head and waved at her as he, War Machine, and The Hulkbuster flew by.

"Nice catch, Tony!" Rhodey complimented, a slightly peevish tone to his voice. Tony grinned, he had been with Rhodey long enough to know that he was slightly ticked that Tony had caught the car before he did. "Thanks, dude." He said playfully, flying ahead of both him and Pepper. "Hey, Tony, slow down!" Pepper complained. "You know that our Armors aren't that fast!"

"Yes, but both of you are better suited for attack. You have about 40 weapons that I don't." he mused, but dropped back beside Rhodey and Pepper.

"So, Tony, got any ideas?" Rhodey asked. His friend smiled.

"Yep. I've already hacked into Stark International's databases, and got the blueprints from Ironmonger. I just need to-AGHH!" he yelped and scrambled back as a giant metal fist pulverized the ground just inches in front of him. Ironmonger leaped high, out from the ruins of a building he destroyed, crashing to the ground just a few yards in front of the trio and thus sending up a spume of asphalt chunks and dirt onto their armor.

Stupid gravity.

A metal flap opened up in front and projected a holographic image of Stane's face.

"Well, Tony, I didn't expect to meet you here!" He laughed mockingly. "I see you've got some friends with you. War machine and Hulkbuster." He drawled, purposely sounding more bored than he actually was. Tony clenched his fists.

"What do you want with me, Stane?" He demanded.

"Oh, nothing much, really. Me and my associate wanted to…negotiate." Just then, a green-and-black figure appeared right next to Pepper, and before she could react, he slammed a fist into her stomach and sent her reeling, right into Ironmonger's grasp.

"Pepper!" Tony and Rhodey both shouted. The holographic image of Stane grinned and tightened his fist around her. As he did, Pepper felt the Hulkbuster armor start to give under the crush of Stane's fist. It wouldn't hold if he kept this up.

"Agh-aah! Let me go, you baldheaded, chrome-domed, noodle-brained, lousy-" Stane brought her close to his face and growled, "Not a peep out of you, girl, or I'll crush you right here and now!" She gave him her best evil stare-down, even though the mask was closed. He scowled in return.

Tony then flew forward, readying a Repulser, but was stopped COLD when Justin grabbed his foot, pulled him back and smashed him into the ground. Grimacing, Tony pulled himself out of the small crater and glared at Titanium Man, who glowered at him in return. (Hmm, lot of glaring and scowling goin on here.)

"Hold it, Stark!" Stane commanded. "Or I'll squeeze the girl until she pops, or the armor breaks-whichever comes first." He added in a deadly calm voice. Iron Man and war Machine looked at each other, and came to a silent understanding. Iron Monger was Tony's problem, and his alone. Rhodey would help by taking Titanium Man out, but Tony would face Stane himself.

And so, Rhodey flew directly at Titanium man, and Tony at Iron Monger.

The battle had begun.


	25. Chapter 25

**Wow, things are wrapping up here! Only 5 chapters left! (Iron Heart ends at 30) Well, as usual, thanks to Alice. Dreamer 15, (Aw, thank you! Smile Emoticon!) Marvel789, (Aw that stinks. ;( Hope you get un-grounded soon!) and SilverPedals1402, (Thanks! But seriously, your Writing skills are WAY better than mine. :) )**

Chapter 25, "Duel"

Stane laughed his mocking laugh. "Tony, Tony, Tony. Would you REALLY dare to fight ME? With my armor, I could-and will-tear you apart. You're just a teen!" Tony gritted his teeth, charging a Repulser, and flew at Stane; nimbly avoiding the giant fist aimed at him, and blasted the holographic Stane, causing him to growl with indignitation and close the hatch. He then unfurled two packs of small missiles from the shoulders of Iron Monger, and launched them at Tony. He took off, flying fast to avoid the deadly projectiles, weaving in and under Iron Monger's limbs. He came up from behind his opponent, and at the last second, rocketed upward, making six of the pursuing missiles wane and blast the back of Stane's armor.

He flew around, hoping to see Obadiah stagger upon the impact, but he showed no signs of faltering. But Tony wasn't one to give up. The shoulder flap of his armor opened up, and the small three-pack of missiles open fired.

(_Yeah, buddy. Two can play at that game.)_

The missiles were a futile attempt, he knew, but it would provide a distraction.

Or not.

Stane merely laughed and reached out, plucking the three power packs out of the air and flinging them into a nearby building. He turned to Tony, grinning wickedly.

(_Oh, nuts.)_

He tried to shield himself as Obadiah threw the missiles back at him, but to no avail. His own missiles hit his chest and exploded, throwing him back hundreds of yards away. He skidded far on the pavement, scratching his armor and denting it as well, rolled a few yards, and finally came to a stop as he hit a rather large building. In the Iron Monger, Stane grinned once more with satisfaction at the large CLANK! Tony's armor made as he hit the building. He advanced, moving fast until he was staring down at the crumpled red-and-gold heap on the pavement.

Pepper twisted in a vain attempt to free herself, worrying fervently what had happened. Stane had squeezed her armor so hard that the visual failed, and she could barely see out of the tiny eye slits. She felt her face burn hot with anger and loathing for Stane, for what he had done.

"DARN IT, STANE!" She shrieked once more. "LET-ME-GO!" He growled in frustration at the annoying girl. He brought her face close to his, and spoke in a dangerous voice.

"I-told-you! Shut up or I'll squeeze you until your armor-or you-breaks!" She smiled smugly.

"What are you smiling for?" Obadiah demanded. Suddenly, behind him, Tony grabbed onto the back of Iron Monger's neck, and yanked off a flap of metal, exposing Iron Monger's internal computer.

Stane snarled like an animal and wheeled around, trying to grab Tony, but the arms of his armor weren't meant for acrobatics, and he couldn't touch him. Pepper smiled. "Stane, you crazy old guy, you may have destroyed the vision of the Hulkbuster…"

"…But not the communications!" Tony finished with satisfaction.

"No…NO! NOOOOO!" Stane screamed as Tony ripped out several of Iron Monger's wires. The interior of Iron Monger suddenly flashed red, indicating that the armor was malfunctioning. [Caution: Iron Monger main computer is severely damaged.] Sparks flew everywhere. Stane sat, frozen in horror, as the monitor to his left showed a message:

[Self-destruct activated. Ten seconds…]

"WHAT!" He shrieked. Tony, who had hacked into the computer, saw the message and gasped.

"Th-that shouldn't be happening!" He stammered. "It-the computer systems NEVER had a -"

"Tony! Just deactivate it!" Pepper pleaded. Tony's mind raced faster than ever before. The wiring was already destroyed, the computer microchips a mess. It should've been finished! There was nothing left to do! (Unless-)

His eyes widened as a thought occurred to him. [Five seconds…]

He hurriedly charged a Repulser, but this time, it was different.

Tendrils of the blue electricity raced around his hand, coiling around his fingers like snakes, and gathered into a blue ball of energy.

"Computer, activate paralyzing energy!" He commanded, pulling his arm back to throw the sphere. The Repulser glowed green, the ball of energy imbued itself with paralyzing energy, and the monitor inside of Iron Monger blinked, [One.] and as fast as lightning, Tony shoved the ball inside of Iron Monger's already damaged circuits, bracing himself for the explosion.


	26. Chapter 26

**Well, I'm back! (Not that it's any big deal) I've been in a deep bout of depression for a while, ever since 4th grade, and now I'm in 8th and graduating into a Freshman. There's been so many pressures in my life, so many stressful things and countless sad things, but I'm learning to cheer up and appreciate the amazing things that my Lord has given me, and learn to be happy! **

**Thanks to UntraRed55, (Thank you so much! You ROCK!) SilverPedals1402, (Haha, thanks! You make me feel so good!) And CindyLou30… (you've been such a great friend, PM-ing me with your cheerful attitude! You cheer me up all the time, and I can only say…thanks for being such a great friend to me. :) )**

**Chapter 26, "Understanding"**

**NOTE-this chapter may be a little sappy and cheesy. You have been warned. :)**

Silence.

Stane opened his eyes. He saw the bright blue river of sky shining, and the face mask of Iron Man staring down at him. The hatch was open, and Iron Monger's computers had frozen. All of the monitors showed, [Zero], but the explosion hadn't happened. Tony's Neuro Plasma Paralyzers had frozen the computers. He sat there, openmouthed and stunned, until Tony grabbed his arm and hauled him up, out of the wreckage that was Iron Monger. He flew Stane down, down to the ground and set him on a slab of busted pavement.

Without a word, he flew over to Iron Monger's arm and pried open the fingers. He remained there for a few minutes, while Stane watched, and eventually hauled Pepper out of the busted-up Hulkbuster Armor. He flew her down onto the pavement, next to Stane. Nobody said anything. Obadiah looked around anxiously, and for the first time, he noticed the destruction he had created.

There were dozens of craters from where he had walked, and a long line stretched out in front of him, chips of red paint strewn across the area where Tony had skidded painfully across the pavement. He winced, shamed now that he finally saw what he created-or, rather, destroyed. In the distance, he heard people screaming, unaware that the danger had subsided. There was the chopping noise of a helicopter, and he looked up to see the news reporters, filming him. He jumped, startled, as Tony grabbed his arm, held Pepper with the other, and took off, flying away, back to the armory.

~Later, back at the Armory~

Tony didn't dare take off the armor, in case Stane might try to run away. He and Pepper sat at one of the numerous tables, somewhat dazed from what had transpired. Tony's armor was dented and scratched, paint chipping off in several places, and-somehow-covered in dirt.

Looking back at the table, where Pepper and the old man now sat, he saw how the battle had changed Stane. His intense grey eyes had dulled, and he stared listlessly into space, hardly blinking. His I-am-rich-and-better-than-you posture had vanished, and he now sat forward, shoulders slumped, staring down at the table, expressionless. He no longer looked like the powerful, rich, imposing and mean C.E.O., but a fragile old man, shattered. Tony took the helmet off, (It was getting seriously hot in there,) and set it on the nearby counter.

Finally, it was Obadiah who broke the deep silence.

"So what are you going to do with me?" He asked, still not looking up. Tony was silent for a moment. He looked back at Stane, who was one of his worst enemies…or was he? He had nearly destroyed everything Tony's father had worked so hard to build. He went against everything that Howard had taught Tony and his workers: not to use Technology for weapons that would end lives, but for things that would help save them. He had tried to kill Tony on many occasions, and just nearly had-as well as all of New York.

He was an enemy.

He didn't deserve mercy.

Tony bit his lip to keep himself from saying those bitter words. As much as he hated Stane, as much as he abhorred everything that he had done to his father's-and his!-company, he just couldn't bring himself to send him to jail. He could imagine, Stane, the frail old man he now was, living his days out in a striped prison uniform, locked up, like…like…

(_Like my father.)_

The way Tony saw it; Stane had done many wrong things in his life. He had been mean and somewhat cruel to his only daughter, Whitney, for no apparent reason. He was a nasty, greedy, weapon-building maniac.

But he wasn't a murderer. He had only been doing what he thought he should, to earn money and build weapons for America. He didn't realize what he had actually been doing. And now, as he finally opened his eyes to see, what he saw shocked him. He had struck terror into many people's lives, he had destroyed a LOT of things that people had worked hard to build, and he had tried to kill a teenager whose only thought was to help New York's good citizens.

He had been blind to his own faults, thinking that he was helping America by building weapons that would destroy their enemies, and now he had turned into their enemy.

(_Wow, that was a little too deep_.) Tony thought, surprised by his revelation. He felt no sympathy for Stane, but understanding.

His father had been almost exactly like Stane. He done what he saw was right in his eyes, but now, because of it, he was locked up with a crazy teenager with 8 magical rings.

And Tony didn't want to doom Stane to the same locked-up life.

With a calm assurance of what he was going to say, he took a deep breath, walked over to the table where Stane sat, and spoke.

"Stane. I'm not going to put you in jail."

"WHAT!" Pepper shrieked, but Tony motioned for her to be quiet. Startled, Obadiah looked up. "You-you're not? But why? I should be in jail! I-"

"Obadiah." Tony's voice was firm. "You hurt many people. You've done some pretty despicable things in your life. You've never realized that the people you thought you were helping, you've actually been hurting.

"But…" His voice trailed off and he gazed thoughtfully at the Mark 2 launch machine.

"…But I think you realize what you've done by now. You won't be making weapons again, will you?" Stane looked down again.

Part of him wanted to scream and attack the impudent teen. Wring his neck. Why should he listen to a mere 17-year-old? He was Obadiah Stane! He could do what he wanted with is power and money. He didn't have to listen to ANYONE.

But the other part of him wanted to stand up and say Yes. He had been listening to the first voice for so long, why not now?

No. not ever again. He had finally opened his eyes; he didn't want to fog them up again.

And something inside of him broke.

He stood up, looking Tony in the eye.

That surprised him. He had never paid attention to Tony, ever since the plane crash. He was surprised at how much he had grown up. Not just in body, he realized, but in spirit. He was strong, and the slight bulge in his arms proved that. His blue eyes, once filled with innocence and mischief, were now cold blue stones. Hard. Unyielding. _Commanding_. His stubbornly set jaw proved him to be determined, and to top it all off, he had a suit of flying armor with weapons capable of freezing a supercomputer before it exploded.

He shook his head as if to clear it, and in a quivering voice that broke on the last word, he spoke. "Take me back to Stark International. I have about a hundred weapon orders to cancel."


	27. Chapter 27

**Well, another day, another chapter…thanks to Cindylou30 (Thank you so much! :D That really means a lot to me, that you think I did the last chapter right. Thanks again!) and SilverPedals1402 (THANK YOU!)**

**By the way, SilverPedals has an awesome story called "Fighting 'Till the End", and it's REALLY epic! BUT she needs more villain ideas for it! So can everyone please think of at least one idea for her to use in that (SUPER COOL!) FanFic? Thanks, everybody!**

**Chapter 27, "The Wind of Change."**

_(I've changed. I'll never make weapons again, now that I realize what they're capable of. Never again._) That was the only thought that ran through Stane's head as Iron Man dropped him off at Stark International, and abruptly flew off. "Don't worry, Tony!" He shouted after him, squinting at the sun, high in the sky.

"I've changed!"

**~Back at The Armory, ten minutes later~**

"TonyTonyTonyTonyTony did you do it? Is Stane really gonna change?" Pepper leaped up from the desk she had been sitting at, anxiously, when the Iron Man Armor came down from the launch chute. She stood in front of it, practically bouncing up and down as the metal flap opened, the armor retracted, and Tony came out, grinning triumphantly.

"Well, Pepper…I don't think he's going to be making weapons anytime soon, that's for sure!" He replied, walking over to the desk with his recharger.

"YAYY!" Pepper squealed like a 6-year-old girl at the good news.

"Boy, that whole Iron-Monger-self-destruct-near-major-explosion-and-near-death thing really changed him, huh?" She grinned.

"Boy, you can say that again. He was silent the whole trip back, just staring and mumbling, 'I've changed…never again…no…'" He commented. Pepper laughed softly.

"I suppose miracles do happen!" she said with a smile. Just then, the third launch chute rotated and came down, retracting to reveal Rhodey, grinning from ear to ear.

"Rhodey! How'd it go?" Pepper asked enthusiastically.

"Well, we battled for a while, and he just kept getting angrier-since it's YOU he wanted to battle, Tony- and eventually, he got reckless and tried to blast me with a high-power laser cannon. So I used the new reflector-type shield-"

"-I TOLD you it was a good idea to add that to the upgrades!" Tony interjected.

"…Right, so the laser reflected back at him and destroyed his reactor, the Titanium Man armor malfunctioned, and he ran. As far as I know, he still is. But, anyway, I don't think he'll be back for a while!" He finished triumphantly.

**~Later~**

"You haven't seen the last of me, Iron Man! I'LL COME BACK ONE DAY! I'LL-"

"You'll be very quiet now, Ghost," Commanded a rather large man, pulling the trigger on his tranquilizer gun. The dart smacked into Ghost's back and he slumped over, asleep in seconds. Tony, (As Iron Man, of course!) Picked him up easily and dumped him unceremoniously into the back of the M.R.D.'s truck. Of course, he was tied up, and Tony had pulled his armor off, revealing him as a skinny, mustached, small, brown-haired man of about 40.

"You see, Tim Lash-you call him Ghost-used to be in our captivity, in a high-security vault," Began the M.R.D.'s leader, General William Stryker.

"He is a criminal mutant, convicted and proven guilty of several technology thefts, murders, and illegal technology construction and experimentation. His family is no more, after he killed them by accident with his powers. After their death, he began to go a little crazy in the head. Tim stole many different specs from leading technology companies, including Stark International, and used them to build himself a suit that would allow him to control his unstable powers."

"We captured him, years ago, but he escaped and fled here, to New York. But I see we're no longer needed in here!" He laughed.

"It seems that Iron Man has things under control. Thank you for re-capturing him. We owe you, Iron Man." He finished. Iron Man shrugged.

"No problem. I had a bone to pick with him anyway. But, tell me, what'll happen to Ghost now? What are you going to do with him?" He asked, glancing over at the M.R.D. truck. General Stryker snorted.

"Oh, he'll be put in another high-security vault, much more upgraded than the one he escaped from. He'll never get out, thanks to a generous contribution from Stark International." Tony smiled. Stane really had changed.

"Well, thank you, Iron Man." He held out his hand, and Tony shook it. "Pleasure doing business with you." Tony smiled and with a blast of his boot jets, took off.

**~Meanwhile~**

"Thank you, War Machine. I'll personally see to it that Mr. Khan here never gets out again," Said the police chief.

War Machine had just turned Zhang in, literally handing him over to the cops, and watched in satisfaction as the metal grate closed, leaving Zhang once more behind bars.

"Don't worry, Zhang!" He said cheerfully once Zhang had been locked up.

"I'm sure that you'll make some quality friends in the county jail."

**~Back at The Armory~**

"Man, what a day…" Tony groaned, plopping down on the couch, Pepper beside him. They sat in silence for a while, waiting for Rhodey to get back.

"So…we won, huh?" Pepper said cheerfully, breaking the silence. Tony looked over at her.

"Yeah, we won…OH SNAP!" Tony cursed, slapping his forehead and burying his head in his hands.

"What's wrong?

Tony didn't answer. After a few moment's silence, he mumbled, "Don't laugh at me, but I never did get anyone to go with me to the dance-and its tonight!" He mumbled almost frantically.

"Um, Tony?" Pepper interrupted. He looked up at her.

"Yes?"

"I…um…Inevergotadateeither!"

"Um, Pepper, a little slower, please?" Tony grumbled.

Pepper sighed. "I never got a date either." Tony almost laughed.

"You? Seriously? How could you not have a date? I mean, you're smart, you always make people laugh, you're really pretty, and…" His eyes widened with embarrassment as he caught himself saying his thoughts aloud.

"Oops." Tony said as he felt his cheeks flush. He dared to look over and saw that Pepper was blushing also. He took a deep breath; ready to ask her what he had been meaning to all week.

"Pepper, will you go to the dance with me?" He saw her eyes light up.

"Tony…I'd love to!" She replied enthusiastically, making his heart soar with happiness. She grinned, and he smiled back.

Meanwhile, Rhodey had returned, and was watching his two friends from behind one of the desks. He grinned to himself, thinking, (_I knew it!)_


	28. Chapter 28

**Short chapter, this is going to be. Anyway thanks to Finny-Kun Goddess, SilverPedals1402, (Thanks! Happy to help, lol) CindyLou30 (For keeping me sane, lol!) and UltraRed55 (Hahaha, thank you! But I think that anyone who is ULTRARED rocks more than anyone who bakes carpets. XD) **

**Chapter 28, "The School Dance"**

"Rhodey, what time is it?"

"6:30, definitely P.M.

"Oh, man, I'm gonna be late!" Tony exclaimed, hurrying to do his tie. After the whole arresting-Ghost-and-Zhang thing had cleared up, he, Rhodey, and Pepper went back to their homes to get ready for the School Dance that night. Tony, Rhodey, and Roberta went out to do some last-minute shopping, and got Rhodey and Tony new Tuxedoes, and corsages for their dates. They hadn't heard from Pepper yet, so they assumed she was busy.

"Well, of course she's busy," Rhodey commented. "It's her second school dance, and after the last one, I don't blame her."

"Why? What happened the last time?" Tony asked apprehensively. Rhodey chuckled.

"Tell you later."

"Boys!" Roberta's kind but firm voice echoed up the staircase to Rhodey's room. "Come on, you're going to be late for the dance!"

"Coming, mom!" Rhodey answered. He looked over at Tony and began to crack up.

"What's with you? Is my tie on backwards?" He asked, suddenly anxious.

Rhodey smiled.

"No, but the nervous look on your face is priceless. Seriously dude, just calm down. You're too tense!" Tony sighed.

"Yeah…I guess I'm just a little nervous, that's all. I don't really know how to dance…and…" He stopped as a blue minivan pulled up in the driveway.

"That's Pepper and her dad. We'd better get going. Seriously bro," He said, putting his hand on Tony's shoulder. "Just relax. You'll have fun…with Pepper!" He added mischievously. Tony's face reddened.

"Aw, shut up!"

"Tony! James! They're here! Come on down!" Roberta called. With one last nervous look, Tony and Rhodey walked downstairs.

Roberta, Virgil, Lilly, and Pepper were waiting downstairs.

Tony caught his breath when he saw Pepper.

(Now, I'm not very good at fashion-type stuff. I hate going shopping; I don't like dresses, so please forgive me if Peppers attire isn't very well described.)

She was wearing a spring-green spaghetti-strap dress, smooth as silk and lined with ocean blue. Her hair was at its usual, shoulder-length and flipping up at the ends, looking almost like a small waterfall of fire.

Tony honestly never thought pepper would wear it, but somehow, she managed to look really good with a little make-up. She didn't use WAY too much, like Whitney or the other girls at their school, but enough to make her look even prettier than before.

And to Tony, THAT was saying a lot.

"Wow, Pepper you look…beautiful!" Tony suddenly clamped his mouth shut, mortified. Rhodey rolled his eyes, but even he had to admit that his date, Lily, looked pretty too, with her cornflower blue dress and long brown hair, neatly braided. Roberta cracked a smile at the astonished looks of her son and adopted son.

"Tony, Rhodey, stop drooling, please, and go get the brownies for the dance. Hurry up!" Embarrassed, they dutifully retrieved the treats from the kitchen. When they came back, Virgil was standing in the doorway, waiting patiently with his car keys.

"All right, looks like everyone's here!" he announced cheerfully. "Come on, let's get into the car."

~Ten minutes later~

The Tomorrow Academy gym was filled to the brim. Students were all over, dancing in the center of the gym, talking around the sidelines, or enjoying Roberta's homemade brownies and lemonade. Pop music blasted loudly from the speakers, playing The Black Eyed Peas's song, "Let's Get It Started". Everywhere, students danced, laughing alongside their friends. Tony, Pepper, Rhodey and Lilly walked over to the refreshment table, since it was the least crowded area.

"Man, this place is PACKED!" Rhodey said, critically looking over the many people. Lilly suddenly laughed and pointed. "Hey, look over there!" she giggled, pointing to the other side of the gym. There, the four friends could see Whitney with Happy, talking. Happy looked very uncomfortable, and Whitney very smug until she looked over and saw Tony with Pepper. Her face turned red and she whirled away in a huff, while Happy followed suit. The four burst into uncontrollable giggles.

After a while they stopped, and continued walking around the dance room. They saw Rona and Andy together, sitting by the punch and complaining of how watered-down it was. After a while, Lilly shyly asked Rhodey to dance, as "Set Fire to the Rain" by ADELE came on, and as they walked away, Rhodey turned and winked at Tony, motioning for him to do the same with Pepper.

(_Not yet…)_ He thought. _(Not yet…)_ "Hey, um, Pepper, it's getting a little hot in here, do you want to go on the rooftop?" He asked casually. She smiled.

"Sure! Just as long as we're back in time for Relient K! Happy told me they're playing some of their songs tonight."

And so the two headed upstairs, onto the rooftop. Rhodey suddenly stopped dancing for a moment and looked around.

"Aw, dang, did they leave?" He said angrily. Lily looked at him and smiled.

"Tony told me he had a…present to give to Pepper. I guess he wanted to do it in private."

**Okay, okay, I know, horribly abrupt ending. But I had no idea what to put otherwise. Writer's Block has only one cure…Writer's Cramp. XD**


	29. Chapter 29

**HELLOOO! Here's chapter 29, the second to last! Waah! ;( but anyway, I'm starting a new fanfic soon after this one is finished, and it'll be called Hunted Hero. (Name courtesy of the WICKEDLY AWESEOME CindyLou30!) (I may have mentioned this before, if I have, I'm sorry! I have a TERRIBLE memory!) Anyway, I'm leaving on Friday to go and do a service trip up in Wisconsin, at a place called Camp Grow, where I'll be gone 'till Sunday, and I SHOULD have the final chapter uploaded by then! (I also may not go, as I seem to be developing Bronchitis. )**

**Thanks to:**

**CindyLou30 (Nooo! You died and it's all my fault! :d Jk, thanks so much!)**

**UltraRed55 (hehehe…possibly BOTH! :D I hope you like it, and I MUST get to read your story Amnesia! I'm sorry I haven't, I've been soo busy since mom's making me do Math over the summer, but I WILL!)**

**Alice. Dreamer 15 (Thanks!)**

**Finny-Kun Goddess (Thank you!)**

**And SilverPedals1402 (Glad you liked it, and read on to find out! :) )**

**Well, let's get going! I don't own IMAA or anything. If I did, Whitney wouldn't exist. XD**

Chapter 29, "On the Rooftop."

"Wow, the stars are so bright tonight!" Pepper exclaimed, looking up at the navy blue sky. There were no clouds at all, and all the streetlights had turned off, for some reason. Tony smiled at her and looked up as well. They stood there for a few minutes, transfixed by the sheer number and brightness of the stars and moon. Tony took a deep breath of the night's fresh, crisp, clean air. It was so peaceful up on the roof! He could hear very faint music and voices coming from the gym below, but the crickets drowned it out with their chattering melodies. Not even the cars seemed loud, it was just him and Pepper.

Her fiery red hair, waving slightly in the breeze, had taken a gleaming iridescence from the bright moon. Her soft, kind brown eyes were wide open with sheer happiness, and the many stars of the rich blue sky were reflected in her eyes like small galaxies.

Tony had never seen her more beautiful in all of his life.

She looked over and saw him staring, openmouthed, and laughed.

"Tony, you look like somebody just told you that Technology was illegal!" He smiled self-consciously, hardly able to tear his eyes away from hers.

"Hey, um, Pepper, there's something I forgot to give you." Tony admitted, reaching into his pocket and puling out a silky-blue box. He pressed it onto her hands, and she said,

"Oh-I have one for you too!" She exclaimed, and (from nowhere that Tony could see), she handed him a leather-brown box, the same size as hers. They both opened their boxes, knowing what was inside, and with happy grins on their faces, each pulled out an identical corsage. Pepper's was the bracelet type, and a bright gold color with several smaller petals blossoming from underneath the large flower.

Tony's was a simple **boutonniere****, **cherry-red with spikier petals furled underneath the larger prominent one.

Tony suddenly laughed. Pepper looked up. "What's so funny? Do you not like it?" She asked frantically. In between laughs, Tony remarked,

"Red and gold-those are the Iron Man colors!" Pepper laughed too, seeing the joke, and once more, Tony thought of how beautiful she looked when she was happy.

Once more they were gazing happily at the stars. "Pepper, there's something else I meant to give you…something I think you've earned" He said thoughtfully. She looked up at him, a smile slowly breaking out on her face. He pulled out his Pod phone and spoke a word into it. It beeped once. He grinned and put it away. "Your gift is on its way." He told her, blue eyes twinkling.

Tony took the corsage bracelet from Pepper's hand and gently slid it around her wrist. Pepper did likewise, pinning the crimson flower on his chest. He caught her hand in his, and for one heartbeat, they gazed into each other's eyes. Bright, intelligent electric blue met warm, cheerful, and soft brown. Tony's heartbeat sped up tenfold as they both leaned in a little closer.

_(Do it already! Just kiss him!)_ Pepper's mind screamed. They were an inch away from each other, but Pepper just couldn't do it. For all her enthusiasm and hyper activeness, she suddenly felt shy. She hesitated, backing away, and as she closed her eyes, she felt Tony's hand gently brush her cheek, and he leaned forward and kissed her.

The crickets paused in their chirping, as if to give the two a little peace. Even the stars in the sky shone brighter and the moon flickered a bit.

After several moments they broke up and just stood there holding each other, aghast. Tony's heart was thumping as if it would burst, and he felt overjoyed, as if he could run a thousand miles without tiring.

Just then, there was a humming noise and they pulled away from each other, looking towards the source of the noise. Tony smiled slyly as a purple-and-red-streaked suit of armor flew up and landed beside him.

"Pepper, meet your new armor!" He announced. Pepper's jaw dropped at the sight of it. It was perfectly built for her figure, short and thin, and the reactor in the center of its chest was glowing a soft shade of pink. The eyes were slightly larger, more circular-shaped, and curved up at the ends in a pretty and feminine way. The combat-styled boots were larger, and almost clunky-looking, but Pepper loved it. Instead of the blocky color scheme of Iron Man, its body, from the neck down, was streaked vertically with purple and red, and judging by the slight fins on its arms, legs and back, highly aerodynamic.

Tony walked over and put an arm around her shoulders, grinning at her stricken expression.

"I take it you like the armor? I haven't named it yet, but I guess that the people of New York will name you once they see you in action." He commented. Pepper suddenly spun around and crushed him in a Pepper-hug. Tony gasped for air as he laughed and tried to breathe as she choked him, murmuring "thank you, THANK YOU!" over and over into his chest. After a few minutes of this she released him, practically jumping up and down with glee. Tony laughed once more.

"Hold on, Pepper, you can't use it until the dance is over." He reminded her.

"Oh, that's right! The dance!" she exclaimed. She and Tony started back down, and the armor flew back to the Armory at Tony's phone signal. She looked back once again as it sped off across the sky, and sighed with happiness. She leaned her head on Tony's shoulder as they descended.

"I love you, Tony."

**Wow…cheesy, right? I'm sorry that the ending was kinda rushed; I wanted to get this done quickly! Don't worry, there's one more chapter coming up!**

**PEPPERONY! :D**


	30. Chapter 30FINAL CHAPTER!

**Chapter 30 FINAL CHAPTER!**

"**Tony and Pepper, Forever and Always/The End"**

**NOTE-I HIGHLY recommend listening to this song before reading. It's called "The Best Thing" by Relient K. I know it probably wasn't the best choice, but hey, I was **

**under pressure here! I wanted to get this story over with, because HH is going to be SO much better, I promise! LAST CHAPTER…I hope you liked my story!**

**Alice. Dreamer 15-Haha, thanks!**

**SilverPedals1402-yay, I'm glad it was still a surprise! :D**

**Finny-Kun Goddess-Thanks!**

**Hey, before I start, does anyone want me to post a quick sneak peek at Hunted Hero after this chapter? Just wondering.**

"_It's been a year filled with problems,  
>But now you're here, almost as if to solve them.<br>And I can't live in a world without you, now…"_

"Ooh, we're just in time!" Pepper squealed as she and Tony descended back into the gym. They looked around and saw everybody paired up, laughing as they danced around with their dates. Tony and Pepper looked at each other and shrugged, moving to the

center of the gym and holding each other as everybody else did.

"_All my life I've been searching for you.  
>How did I survive in this world before you?<br>'Cause I don't want to live another day without you, now…"_

"_This is the best thing, the best thing that could be happening,  
>and I think you would agree, the best thing is that it's happening to you and me…"<em>

Pepper cringed, looking down so Tony wouldn't see. Her hands were starting to feel sweaty and she was sure that she had stepped on Tony's foot at least three times. She felt so clumsy, but Tony cupped his hand under her chin and made her look him in the eyes.

"It's all right, Pepper. Just relax. This is our night."

"_All I want to have is all that you can give me,  
>And I'll give right back everything I've kept in me,<br>'Cause nothing ever felt as right as this does right now._

_I'll go back to before we met, try and erase the past,_

_try harder to forget 'cause,_

_nothing will ever be as good as here and now!_

Tony took a tighter hold on Pepper's waist and spun her around in circles, making her laugh. Rhodey looked over at the two spinning around and grinned to himself. Then he turned back to Lily and the two continued to dance.

'_Cause when I looked into your eyes,_

_and you dared to stare right back,  
>You should have said, 'Nice to meet you, I'm your other half!'"<em>

"_This is the best thing, the best thing that could be happening!  
>And I think you would agree, the best thing is that it's happening,<br>The best thing is that it's happening to you and me!"_

Pepper laughed as she spotted Happy stepping on Whitney's toes, causing her to shriek and whirl away in a huff. Happy looked relieved, and made a run for the boy's bathroom. Tony laughed alongside her, and the two teens kept on dancing, swaying slowly to the song.

"_I always knew…  
>I'd find someone…<br>I never dreamt…  
>It'd be like this…<br>'Cause you've surpassed all that I'd hoped for and ever wished!  
>And I'm trying so hard, with all my heart and mind,<br>To make your life as good as you've made mine…oh,_

_The best thing is that it's happening to you and me,  
>The best thing is that it's happening to you and me."<em>

The large crowd of students cheered at the end of the song, and resumed whatever they had been doing before the song started, talking, eating, and generally having a good time. Pepper and Tony released each other, and locked eyes. Pepper's were shining.

"Tony, that was really fun!" She exclaimed happily. Tony smiled at her. "Yeah, it was. Although I'm pretty sure I smashed your toes…" Pepper laughed and put her arms around his neck.

"Tony, that was the best time of my life!"

And so, under the stars, the sky, and a clear, happy conscience, Tony, Pepper, and Rhodey laughed among friends, chatted amiably, and danced until the sun came over the horizon, beginning a new day and a new life.

**Waah! I hate endings! ;( ...Oh, well, I hope you guys liked it! I'll be posting Hunted Hero pretty soon (Thanks to Cindylou30 for the title!), and it'll be on the Iron Man: Armored Adventures/X-Men crossover section, since it's a mix of both.**

**Once more, thanks to you all who commented and PM-ed me! I've really enjoyed writing this and I hope you'll like Hunted Hero! (Once more, thanks, Cindy!)**

**THIS IS CARPETBAKR, THE BAKER OF CARPETS, SIGNING OUT!**


	31. Hunted Hero PREVIEW!

**Alright, MAN am I glad to get Iron Heart out of the way. It wasn't my best work at all, abut I've learned quite a few things about writing since I finished it and began Hunted Hero. But I think you guys'll like Hunted Hero much better. (I hope!) Here's a quick preview of it! Thanks again to all of you for reading and reviewing the last (and suckish) chapter of Iron Heart!**

Pepper pulled the dragon into her plane and laid him down in the space behind the two seats. She sighed with relief and knelt down next to him, inspecting his wounds. He raised his head weakly and looked up at her, but then moaned in pain and let his head fall back down. And in that moment, something that was quite out of the ordinary occurred. A light glowed from somewhere within the dragon's chest, and it expanded, encasing him in an ice-blue sphere of light, and as quickly as it had come it melted away, and where the dragon had lain there now was a boy.

He looked about sixteen, with unruly, long dark brown hair, ragged blue jeans, and an equally tattered red shirt. His shirt was soaked in blood, and so was his knee. Pepper and Rhodey gasped at the transformation. It had happened so fast.

The boy coughed a bit and opened his eyes; they were the same glowing electric blue as the dragon's. Pepper leaned forward nervously.

"Don't worry, you're safe here. My name is Pepper, and this is Rhodey." She said, hoping she sounded reassuring.

"Y…you're mutants too?" he asked weakly. Pepper nodded, smiling a little bit. But then her smile faded and was replaced with worry. As she watched, he was growing weaker. His chest heaved with each breath, and his breathing sounded awful. He took a shuddering breath, winced again in pain, and said, "Th…Thanks for…rescuing me..." and with that, he closed his eyes and let his head fall back, his pained twitching grew still.

"Wait! What's your name?" Pepper asked frantically. When he didn't respond, she began to panic. He was mortally injured, -he was dying as she watched!-and all their supplies were in a cave, hidden in the forest floor. They wouldn't be there for a while yet. But then, the boy said in a faint whisper, "My name is Tony Stark."


End file.
